Gender Discrimination in Physics Education

Principal Investigator: Thomas Brown at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The number of women earning bachelor’s degrees in physics has not improved. This does not have much to do with past physics knowledge but correlates strongly with low self-efficacy in women. This low self-efficacy is a result of lack of physics identity which comes from exclusion and lack of positive feedback. Good communication between women and professors has proven to be helpful as well as implementing inclusive group active learning strategies.