Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan

Women are underrepresented in physics. Because of the structure of the Japanese educational system, more women must choose physics as a subject for university entrance exams to increase the number of women studying advanced physics at university. In this study, we investigated the factors influencin...

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Autores principales:	Yuko Ikkatai, Atsushi Inoue, Kei Kano, Azusa Minamizaki, Euan McKay, Hiromi M. Yokoyama
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Physical Society 2021
Materias:	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/d76c4a0889954dec94533e057757ed82
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:d76c4a0889954dec94533e057757ed822021-12-02T17:39:48ZFactors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.0101412469-9896https://doaj.org/article/d76c4a0889954dec94533e057757ed822021-06-01T00:00:00Zhttp://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.010141http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.010141https://doaj.org/toc/2469-9896Women are underrepresented in physics. Because of the structure of the Japanese educational system, more women must choose physics as a subject for university entrance exams to increase the number of women studying advanced physics at university. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing girls’ choice of physics for university entrance examination in Japan, focusing on preference and self-efficacy for science subjects. We investigated two Japanese populations (members of the public who graduated from university with a degree in science, and professional physicists) to identify characteristics of physicists. We conducted online retrospective questionnaires. First, we found that the preference for physics at junior high school and the first year of high school were positively related to the choice of physics for university entrance exams in both female and male university science graduates. Second, we found that preferences for museums and science magazines as well as the recognition of the importance of physics and mathematics at elementary or junior high school were significantly related to the choice of physics for female university science graduates. Third, we found that professional physicists, especially women, had a lower mathematical stereotype than male and female university science graduates. Our results suggest that initiatives to prevent girls from disliking physics at junior high school or high school may be important for encouraging them to choose physics for university entrance examination in Japan.Yuko IkkataiAtsushi InoueKei KanoAzusa MinamizakiEuan McKayHiromi M. YokoyamaAmerican Physical SocietyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691PhysicsQC1-999ENPhysical Review Physics Education Research, Vol 17, Iss 1, p 010141 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999
spellingShingle	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999 Yuko Ikkatai Atsushi Inoue Kei Kano Azusa Minamizaki Euan McKay Hiromi M. Yokoyama Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
description	Women are underrepresented in physics. Because of the structure of the Japanese educational system, more women must choose physics as a subject for university entrance exams to increase the number of women studying advanced physics at university. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing girls’ choice of physics for university entrance examination in Japan, focusing on preference and self-efficacy for science subjects. We investigated two Japanese populations (members of the public who graduated from university with a degree in science, and professional physicists) to identify characteristics of physicists. We conducted online retrospective questionnaires. First, we found that the preference for physics at junior high school and the first year of high school were positively related to the choice of physics for university entrance exams in both female and male university science graduates. Second, we found that preferences for museums and science magazines as well as the recognition of the importance of physics and mathematics at elementary or junior high school were significantly related to the choice of physics for female university science graduates. Third, we found that professional physicists, especially women, had a lower mathematical stereotype than male and female university science graduates. Our results suggest that initiatives to prevent girls from disliking physics at junior high school or high school may be important for encouraging them to choose physics for university entrance examination in Japan.
format	article
author	Yuko Ikkatai Atsushi Inoue Kei Kano Azusa Minamizaki Euan McKay Hiromi M. Yokoyama
author_facet	Yuko Ikkatai Atsushi Inoue Kei Kano Azusa Minamizaki Euan McKay Hiromi M. Yokoyama
author_sort	Yuko Ikkatai
title	Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
title_short	Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
title_full	Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
title_fullStr	Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
title_full_unstemmed	Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan
title_sort	factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in japan
publisher	American Physical Society
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/d76c4a0889954dec94533e057757ed82
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Factors related to girls’ choice of physics for university entrance exams in Japan

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