Gender and physics (Updated)

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What attitudes did boys and girls of different ages have towards studying physics?

Primary aged pupils were very motivated towards studying science. Over half of both boys and girls liked science lessons and enjoyed the subject, although boys found the lessons significantly more interesting.

There was an overall decline in attitudes towards science lessons on transfer to secondary school, which was more marked for girls. Compared with the boys, girls did not like science lessons or enjoy the subject, although they found science lessons as interesting as the boys. Boys regarded science as more important than the girls.

The deterioration in attitudes towards studying physics was halted for those who continued to study physics at Standard Grade Level (GCSE equivalent). Girls' attitudes improved particularly. Around half of both boys and girls liked science lessons and enjoyed the subject, and slightly less than half found the lessons interesting.

For those who continued with Higher Grade level there was a sharp drop in enjoyment of physics - for both girls and boys, although particularly for boys. Only a quarter of pupils enjoyed physics. Girls liked physics lessons more than boys and found them more interesting.

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Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction What were the researchers' aims? What attitudes did boys and girls of different ages have towards studying physics? How confident were pupils about their ability to cope with physics courses? How did pupils view carrying on with studying physics? What did boys and girls like and dislike about the content of physics courses? How was the study designed? What are the implications of the study for science teachers? Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests To view/remove/add notes and save your collated digests click here Get Word Reader Gender and physics (Updated) This digest found in Gender Science Send to a friend Word doc 50KB Printer friendly Collate for later What attitudes did boys and girls of different ages have towards studying physics? Primary aged pupils were very motivated towards studying science. Over half of both boys and girls liked science lessons and enjoyed the subject, although boys found the lessons significantly more interesting. There was an overall decline in attitudes towards science lessons on transfer to secondary school, which was more marked for girls. Compared with the boys, girls did not like science lessons or enjoy the subject, although they found science lessons as interesting as the boys. Boys regarded science as more important than the girls. The deterioration in attitudes towards studying physics was halted for those who continued to study physics at Standard Grade Level (GCSE equivalent). Girls' attitudes improved particularly. Around half of both boys and girls liked science lessons and enjoyed the subject, and slightly less than half found the lessons interesting. For those who continued with Higher Grade level there was a sharp drop in enjoyment of physics - for both girls and boys, although particularly for boys. Only a quarter of pupils enjoyed physics. Girls liked physics lessons more than boys and found them more interesting.