Transcript Mirror - Helsinki

To choose or not to choose – is there
anything interesting: Finnish girls’
and boys’ opinions about physics
Kalle Juuti
:: Background
Increasing the number of people in non-traditional occupations
has been seen as a way to develop a more equal society.
There are few girls in technical and science-related occupations,
but more qualified personnel are needed
Pupils’ opinions or benchmarking?
Two surveys:
•
Reasons to choose
•
Interest in context
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 2
Predictors for the choice of
::
science
Future relevance (future studies or occupation)
Interest in the contents of science subjects
Interest in a context where certain science domain is met
Interest in an activity type of students or method of
studying subject or teaching methods used
Achievement
Difficulty and appreciation of the topic
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 3
:: Research questions
1. How interested are pupils in studying physics in this
context?
2. How do boys’ and girls’ interests to study physics differ
in this context?
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 4
:: Methods for questions 1 and 2
• Survey, Finnish secondary schools, 3626 pupils, age
15,
• Pupils were asked to state: “How interested are you in
learning about the following?” Items were four-scaled
from not interested to very interested. Altogether, there
were 35 items probing interest.
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 5
:: Contexts
•
Ideal science context: “Linear and circular motion caused by
forces”
•
Science and technology in society context: “Traffic safety
(acceleration and braking)”
•
Technical application context: “Forces acting in bridges, and
building and planning of structures”
•
Human being context: “Forces acting in muscles when using
them in sports”
•
Investigation context: “Studying linear and circular motion and
how they are caused by different forces”
•
Technology, design and construction context: “Making a
mechanical toy, like a balancing object”
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 6
:: Context sum variable
If a respondent stated not interested for every context item,
he or she gave the sum variable score 1, and if a
respondent stated very interested in every item, he or
she gave the sum variable score 4
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 7
:: Ideal science context
300
200
Means
g: 1.72
b: 2.20
100
Count
girl or boy
girl
0
boy
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 8
Science and technology in
::
society
300
200
100
Count
girl or boy
girl
0
boy
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : : 16.5.2004 : : Sivu 9
:: Technology application
300
200
Means
g: 1.87
b: 2.4
100
Count
girl or boy
girl
0
boy
1,00
1,50
2,00
2,50
3,00
3,50
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 10
:: Human being context
means
g: 2.24
b: 2.20
300
200
no effect between
boys and girls
interest
Count
100
girl or boy
girl
boy
0
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 11
:: Investigations
300
means
g: 1.97
B 2.15
200
100
Count
girl or boy
girl
0
boy
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 12
Technology design and
::
construction
300
means
g: 1.86
b: 2.17
200
small effect
100
Count
girl or boy
girl
0
boy
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
Interest score
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 13
:: Discussion
• Girls responded very sensitively to a change of context
IMPLICATION FOR
• Textbooks: ideal “bodies” moving, warming up, or
TEACHING
absorbing radiation.
Textbook examples are typically
technical
applications of physiological
the measurement
processes
of application
the humanmost
bodyinteresting
• Boys found
technical
context with technical applications
largest gender difference
• Girls found human being most interestin context
 no gender difference
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 14
:: Research questions
3. How important the reason to reject or choose physic is?
4. How do boys’ and girls’ opinions of importance differ in
this reason?
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 15
:: Methods for questions 3 and 4
Survey, Finnish upper secondary school students (N=
2934), age 17
Students were asked to answer questions for rejecters’ or
for choosers’ items.
Items were five-scaled from not important reason to very
important reason.
Altogether, there were 16 items probing choosing and 19
items probing rejecting physics.
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 16
Reasons to reject physics,
::
examples of items
•
”My future studies do not require physics”
•
”I am not competent in physics”
•
”Content in physic is too masculine”
•
”Negative message from media”
•
”Mother or another female relative have negative
opinion” about physics studies”
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 17
:: Reasons to reject physics
Moderate effect
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 18
reasons to choose physics,
::
examples of items
• ”Physics is useful in my future occupation”
• ”Physics is interesting subject”
• ”I am talented in physics”
• ”Positive attitude of my friends (e.g. my friend choose
too)”
• ”Physics teacher supported to choose”
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 19
:: Reasons to choose physics
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 20
:: Discussion 2
• Role of parents, counselling, media etc. are viewed
small
• Small genderIMPLICATIONS
differences, especially in group of
choosers
Informing pupils about future relevance
• pupils
Futuretorelevance
important
reasontheir choices
Help
be awaremost
of actors
influencing
• Reasoning or justifying choises…
: : Kalle Juuti : :
16.5.2004 : : Sivu 21