“I Fall Asleep in Class … But Physics Is Fascinating”: The Use of Large-Scale Longitudinal Data to Explore the Educational Experiences of Aspiring Girls in Mathematics and Physics

Tamjid Mujtaba,Michael J Reiss

doi:10.1080/14926156.2016.1235743

Tamjid Mujtaba, Michael J Reiss

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2016.1235743

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Abstract

This article explores how students' aspirations to study mathematics or physics in post-16 education are associated with their perceptions of their education, their motivations, and the support the...

Highlights

In line with many nations, the UK government has been focusing its efforts to increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals given that advancement in STEM industries is seen as vital for the success of all nations, including the UK (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2009)
The mathematics/physics self-concept is a construct that consists of five items; for example, “I am good at maths”
We found that the self-concepts of both of our interviewees in mathematics and physics may have been impacted by their perceptions of their academic environments

Summary

Introduction

In line with many nations, the UK government has been focusing its efforts to increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals given that advancement in STEM industries is seen as vital for the success of all nations, including the UK (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2009). UK practitioners and policy makers have indicated that despite recent increases in the numbers entering STEM courses in postcompulsory education in recent years, there are still problems with the relatively low proportion of students, compared to certain other countries, who continue with STEM subjects in postcompulsory education (e.g., Royal Society, 2011). Despite girls doing as well as if not better than boys in the sciences and mathematics in compulsory national assessment examinations at age 16 (Joint Council for Qualifications, 2014b) and postcompulsory examinations (Joint Council for Qualifications, 2014a), relatively low number of girls progress on to these subjects when they are no longer compulsory. In 2014 across the UK, 39% of mathematics A-level results were obtained by girls and for physics the equivalent figures was only 21% (Joint Council for Qualifications, 2014a)

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