The Experiences of Ontario Teachers Supporting Female Students in Senior Physics Courses

This research paper emerged in an attempt to understand the under-representation of women in the mathematically-intensive sciences, by exploring how Ontario senior secondary physics teachers are reportedly supporting and encouraging their female students. Semi- structured interviews with three Ontario physics teachers yielded the following findings: physics educators, while aware of their positional identity, are committed to helping their female students succeed; implementing cooperative learning strategies and culturally responsive pedagogy makes girls feel welcome in physics classrooms; and extracurricular activities geared toward females in science are important in promoting girls’ interest in STEM. Several implications stem from these findings: female students may benefit from working in cooperative group environments in physics, and physics teachers may not be aware of how to implement pedagogies supportive of their female students. This study recommends that teachers should provide more female presence in classroom examples, and explicitly address subtle discrimination against women in STEM. In addition, teacher education programs, science departments and school administration need to promote gender equity in STEM by exposing teachers to relevant resources