GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SCIENCE INTERESTS: AN ANALYSIS OF SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS.

Gender differences in science interests were examined in two studies of projects entered in a regional science fair in kindergarten through grade 12. A content analysis of 1,319 project topics and materials submitted to the Northeastern Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair from 1991 through 1993 showed that girls were more likely than boys to enter projects in biology and less likely to enter projects in physics, with the gender difference in physics smallest at grades K-2 and largest at grades 9-12. It also found that girls and boys tended to use materials re;,ted to gender-typed interest, such as household products and plants by girls and paper airplanes and electricity by boys. In a second study, interviews with science fair participants revealed no evidence that parents discriminated in topic selection or help with physics or biology projects on the basis of their c ild’s gender.

1 Running head: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SCIENCE PROJECTS Gender Differences in Science Interests: An Analysis of Science Fair Projects Carol A. Lawton Kenneth S. Bordens Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 0,f.ce of Educational Flosoinch and Invovelnent EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) NAThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY fo..,c-cA A . 1.-0,\o-Yon TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)” Carol A. Lawton, Department of Psychological Sciences; Kenneth S. Bordens, Department of Psychological Sciences. The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Jennifer Layson, Jeri Lovell, and Donya Malmquist in coding project abstracts and interviews, and Yukti Ahuja, Jill Bickley, Scott Bradtmiller, Eric Hargett, Jennifer Layson, Jeri Lovell, George Parker, and Cristina Rider in conducting interviews. The authors would also like to thank Yvonne Zubovic for statistical help and Roger Hack for permission to conduct interviews during the 1994 Northeastern Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, March, 1995. Address correspondence to Carol A. Lawton, Department of Psychological Sciences, IPFW, Fort Wayne, IN 46805. p BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Gender Differences 2 Abstract Gender differences in science interests were examined in two studies of projects entered in a regional science fair in grades K-12. In the first study, a content analysis of project topics and materials showed that girls were more likely than boys to enter projects in biology and less likely to enter projects in physics, with the gender difference in physics smallest at grades K-2 and largest at grades 9-12. Girls and boys tended to use materials related to gender-typed interests (e.g., household products, plants vs. paper airplanes, electricity). In the second study, interviews with science fair participants revealed no evidence that parents discriminated in topic selection or help with physics vs. biology projects on the basis of child’s gender.