PERC 2021 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Challenges of building an inclusive community of learners in the physics lab |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Collaborative group work is an important aspect of many introductory physics labs. This research focuses on how the gender diversity of a group of students impacts their engagement in the collaborative portion of an online introductory physics lab. We conducted a mixed methods study to determine the relationship between the gender composition of groups and the degree of engagement those groups demonstrated in weekly collaborative activity reflections, using randomly-assigned groups of four students. We also investigated the impact of giving students explicit grading rubrics. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with students in order to understand their perspective and experiences collaborating with others. When students were not provided with grading rubrics, we found that groups of all men had highest levels of engagement, and groups with only one woman had lowest levels of engagement as evidenced by the length of written reflections. On the other hand, when students were provided with explicit grading rubrics, groups with one or more women had higher, comparable, levels of engagement. In interviews, women described interactions in majority-male groups that were detrimental to effective collaboration, such as being ignored or talked over. These results suggest that instructors could improve equity in online lab courses (and perhaps other classes as well) by assembling student groups that do not have a single, isolated, woman group member or providing clear grading expectations. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session 2 Room B |
| Poster Number: | 2B-4 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Danny Doucette University of Pittsburgh |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh |
