Reducing the gender achievement gap in college science
A simple “values affirmation” writing exercise
can make a dramatic difference in the exam scores of female physics students,
according to Geoffrey Cohen in a new study published in Science.
Prof. Geoffrey Cohen
Women are
underrepresented and on average perform more poorly than men in introductory
physics. But a recent study by Prof. Geoffrey Cohen and researchers at the University of Colorado
at Boulder
finds that a simple “values affirmation” writing exercise can dramatically
lessen the gender gap in physics scores.
