open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/111788

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/93247

Exploratory Research on High School Teachers’Unconscious Gender Bias in Guidance Counselling for Physics Classes

日本語

science career choice

2024-09

北海道大学 高等教育推進機構 オープンエデュケーションセンター 科学技術コミュニケーション教育研究部門（CoSTEP）

Japanese Journal of Science Communication

35

1-12

In Japan, the percentage of female university students studying engineering and physics is extremely low. One reason is that in high school, female students tend to choose biology instead of advanced physics. This choice impacts future selection of university departments, marking a crucial point for physics and engineering careers in Japan. However, research on gender bias in Japanese high school science subject selection is still insufficient. Globally, more male students enroll in physical sciences, and female students in life sciences, but these phenomena have complex causes. Several elements have been pointed out, which are related to each other in complicated ways. To understand the issue, it's crucial to uncover gender biases at each stage of a student's growth. We conducted an exploratory study on high school teachers' unconscious gender bias. We explored whether teachers were unconsciously influenced by students' gender when advising on advanced science courses. The online experiment results revealed teachers generally supported students' preferences but encouraged boys to choose physics when teachers were aware of entrance exam options. The possibility that social climate and traditional gender role stereotypes may influence the gender bias of physical selection recommendations was also discussed.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1881-8390

AA12317666