A new PLOS ONE-published study involving 1,700 undergraduate biology students suggests that males consistently ranked their male classmates as more knowledgeable about course content, even ranking them above better-performing female students.
The young men over-ranked their male peers by three-quarters of a GPA point compared to female students. The researchers say one reason could be greater vocal participation by male students. In the study, female students consistently ranked their male and female students with accuracy and equity.
One worry to take away from this study that focused on science students is that a chronic underestimation of female students could be a motivating factor for the large numbers of women who leave STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) majors in college.
What do you think are the main drivers for these findings? What are some solutions?
Guests:
Sarah Eddy, Research analyst for the College of Natural Sciences, UT Austin; a first co-author of the study
Dan Grunspan, Doctoral candidate in the Anthropology department, University of Washington; a first co-author of the study