Female Physics Students Gain from Facilitating Informal Physics Programs

Autor/inn/en	Randolph, Jessi; Perry, Jonathan; Donaldson, Jonan Phillip; Rethman, Callie; Erukhimova, Tatiana
Titel	Female Physics Students Gain from Facilitating Informal Physics Programs
Quelle	In: Physical Review Physics Education Research, 18 (2022) 2, Artikel 020123 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Perry, Jonathan) ORCID (Donaldson, Jonan Phillip) ORCID (Erukhimova, Tatiana)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Womens Education; Females; Gender Bias; Physics; Informal Education; Identification (Psychology); Self Concept; Persistence; Beliefs; World Views; College Students; Majors (Students); Program Effectiveness; Facilitators (Individuals); Student Interests; Student Motivation; Self Efficacy; Outreach Programs; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? 'Women''s education'; Frauenbildung; Weibliches Geschlecht; Geschlechterstereotyp; Physik; Informelle Bildung; Nichtformale Bildung; Selbstkonzept; Ausdauer; Belief; Glaube; World view; Weltanschauung; Collegestudent; Studieninteresse; Schulische Motivation; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Jobcoaching
Abstract	Gender bias, reduced sense of belonging, and lower physics self-efficacy are among the challenges faced by women who choose to study physics. Prior studies focusing on this underrepresented group have examined the experiences and impacts of formal educational settings, leaving the impact of informal physics programs, frequently called outreach programs, as a relatively overlooked area. Existing research on the impact of informal physics programs indicates that student facilitators, who help run the programs, can experience positive impacts on their learning and sense of community beyond the formal setting of a classroom or laboratory. In this study we took a first step, narrowing our focus to explore the relation between facilitation of informal physics programs and female students' physics identity, persistence, mindset, and worldview. We analyzed a subset of survey responses (32) and interviews (11) with undergraduate and graduate female students collected as part of our prior study. Our analysis of this subset, based on self-reported data, showed a statistically significant shift in confidence of choice of major after facilitating informal physics programs. Analysis of interviews indicated a positive relation between facilitation of informal programs and female student interest and motivation with regards to the field of physics, improved performance and competence beliefs, and the development of characteristics indicative of a growth mindset. A semantic network analysis showed statistically significant interdependencies between positive persistence and constructs including growth mindset, important early undergraduate experiences, gender stereotype threat, external recognition, and confidence. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: https://journals.aps.org/prper/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01