Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature

Brotman, J. S., & Moore, F. M. (2008). Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature. Journal of Research in Science Education, 45(9), 971-1002.

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Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields despite widespread efforts to reduce this disparity. This meta-analysis investigates the factors that contribute to gender disparities in STEM fields. Four themes are identified in the 107 papers reviewed as having a significant impact on girls’ engagement in science. The first theme includes topics related to equity and access. Papers that focus on this theme support the hypothesis that lack of equity and access has a negative impact on girls’ interest and engagement in science. Examples of inequity include gender biased text books, or girls receiving less attention from teachers in science classes. Curriculum and pedagogy is the second themes, and it focuses on how teaching methods and curriculum impact engagement in science. For example, girls are more likely to be engaged in science coursework if the content of the course is made relevant to their lives in some way, and if they have the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning experiences. The culture of science is the third theme. Parents, teachers, and students all potentially hold stereotypical views of science fields as being more masculine. Science is associated with traits that are typically considered masculine traits, such as objectivity and rationality. This stereotyped view of science discourages girls from pursuing science coursework from an early age. The final theme that this meta-analysis covers is identity. Girls are less likely to develop an identity as a scientist, partially because of stereotypical views regarding gender roles and science. Results showed that teachers responded more favorable to girls to behaved in a way that was congruent with their stereotypical gender role, which could discourage them from bringing attention to themselves in science classrooms.