Encouraging girls into physics and chemistry

Kate Shaw

One of the significant objectives of WISENET is to develop a teaching resource based on contemporary Australian women scientists. This resource is intended to encourage girls to pursue science-based careers, and draws on the wealth of information and photographs already collected by WISENET for various exhibitions and other events. The need for such a resource is evidenced by the comments of teachers who have seen these WISENET displays.

Dr Margaret Hartley from WISENET, and the Science Teachers Association of the ACT (STA*ACT) Council have developed a model for the format of this proposed teaching resource. During 1994 I prepared a submission seeking funds for its preparation. So far we have been unsuccessful in obtaining any funds.

Despite the lack of funding, as part of my postgraduate studies I have developed a section of the teaching resource using the proposed model and have trialled this resource in a pilot study. I worked on profiles of five contemporary Australian women scientists (mainly adapted from material already published in previous WISENET Journals) and developed a set of associated discussion questions and learning activities to accompany each profile. For the trial I chose Fiona Davies-McConchie, Sharon Beder, Lesley Warner, Vicki Harriott and Robina Otrupcek.

With support and cooperation from the Science staff at St. Peter's Catholic College (SPCC) ACT, the pilot study was conducted over a two-week period in early September 1995. The study had the following characteristics:

The instruments used were the Test Of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA: see Fraser, 1981) and a Subject Choice Questionnaire.
The five profiles and the associated learning activities formed the basis of the study.
The whole Year 10 cohort (118 students) were randomly assigned to one of four groups.
Two experimental groups worked through the profiles and learning activities.
Two control groups worked through alternate curriculum materials.
All four groups were tested using the TOSRA before and after the two week trial, to check for changes in students' attitudes to science.
All four groups were tested using the Subject Choice Questionnaire before and after the trial, to check for changes in intended enrolment patterns.

The main findings of the pilot study were that:

Students with positive attitudes to science are more likely to consider enrolling in physics and/or chemistry than are students with negative attitudes to science.
There was no significant difference in attitude to science between the experimental and control groups prior to the intervention, nor was there any significant difference in the attitudes to science of the experimental group as a result of exposure to the profiles and learning activities.
Students exposed to the profiles and learning activities were no more or less likely to enrol in physics and/or chemistry than students who were not exposed to the materials; but when examined by gender, the number of female students intending to enrol in physics and/or chemistry increased after exposure to the profiles and learning activities and the number of males decreased.

The pilot study also highlighted a number of experimental design flaws which will be modified before a major study takes place.

Although these results are promising, the sample size was small and the trial will need to be conducted with a larger group to validate these findings. It is envisaged that five ACT high schools will take part in the major study (a total of approximately 300 students) during 1997. In the meantime we will keep seeking funds to further develop the profiles and learning materials into a full scale teaching resource.

Reference

Fraser, BT, 1981, TOSRA: Test of Science Related Attitudes. Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorne, VIC.

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