Girls are taking fewer AP courses in science at the high school level, are less likely to select science majors in college, and are less likely to pursue occupations in science-related fields after college. A prime example of this trend can be seen in our own institution. There are no genetically based differences between boys and girls in their ability to learn science. Even when teachers incorporate these methods, however, girls still show less confidence in their science ability than boys. Contrary to the popular belief that teachers are biased in whom they pay attention to in the classroom, my research indicated that while boys do in fact get called on more in science classrooms, it is because the volunteering pool is dominated by boys.
Boys simply volunteer more in response to teachers' questions.
It's important that we continue to look at how children learn best. Current reforms in science education focus on the value of a hands-on approach to teaching and testing. However, even in those classrooms where teachers are incorporating the best techniques, girls are still more reluctant to participate in science. Societal expectations and stereotypes tell children at a very early age what they should be interested in and what they are good at. Much of the research on single-sex education in the United States has been done in Catholic schools or private girls' schools.