Women
are vastly underrepresented in the fields of computer science, engineering, and
mathematics. But less clear are the trajectories -- academic and otherwise --
that lead young women toward other professions. Higher education has already
opened the door to equal opportunities for women and minorities in the U.S. --
so is it possible that elementary school, as a new Tel Aviv University study
suggests, is the critical juncture at which girls are discouraged from pursuing
science and mathematics?
New
research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that
elementary school teachers' unconscious biases significantly influence female
students' academic choices later on. According to researchers Dr. Edith Sand,
an economist at the Bank of Israel and an instructor at TAU's Berglas School of
Economics, and Prof. Victor Lavy, a professor at Hebrew University and
University of Warwick in England, the classroom teacher's unwitting prejudice is
a key factor explaining the divergence of boys' and girls' academic
preferences.
"It
isn't an issue of discrimination but of unconscious discouragement," said
Dr. Sand. "This discouragement, however, has implications. The track to
computer science and engineering fields, which report some of the highest
salaries, tapers off in elementary school."
Taking
the gender test
The
research was carried out on three groups of students in Israel from sixth grade
through the end of high school. The students were given two exams, the first
graded by objective scorers who did not know their names and the second by
instructors who did know them. In math, the girls outscored the boys in the
test that was scored anonymously, but when graded by teachers who were familiar
with their names, the boys outscored the girls. The effect was not the same for
tests in non-math or science-related subjects.
The
researchers concluded that, in math and science, the teachers overestimated the
boys' skills and underestimated the girls' abilities, and that this had
long-term implications for students' attitudes toward these subjects.
Opting
out
"When
the same students reached junior high and high school, we examined their
performances in matriculation exams ('Bagrut' in Hebrew)," said Dr. Sand.
"The boys who had been encouraged when they were younger performed
significantly better than their female counterparts, though the latter had
objectively scored higher at a younger age."
The
researchers also monitored the advanced math and science courses that students
chose to take in high school, concluding that the girls who had been
discouraged by their elementary school teachers were much less likely than the
boys to opt for advanced courses.
"If
teachers take into account these effects, it could lead to a reduction of the
gender gap in achievement, especially in science and math," said Dr. Sand.
"It is clear how important encouragement is for both boys and girls in all
their subjects. Teachers play a critical role in lowering and raising the
confidence levels of their students, which has serious implications for their
futures."
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