Decision-making factors of female A-level chemistry students when choosing to study a degree in chemistry

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Crossdale, Rachel and Scott, Fraser J. and Sweeney, Gemma (2022) Decision-making factors of female A-level chemistry students when choosing to study a degree in chemistry. Chemistry Teacher International, 4 (3). pp. 231-242. ISSN 2569-3263 (https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2021-0030)

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Abstract

Gender issues, and specifically the lack of women in the physical sciences, has been a subject of intense debate for decades. The problem is so acute, that national initiatives have been developed to analyse and address the issues, with some success in STEM, particularly in higher education and also in industry. However, despite this progress, there is little understanding as to why women are less likely to study the chemical sciences in particular. In this research, a survey and interviews were used to find out why female A-level chemistry students choose, or do not choose, to study chemistry at higher education level. Two distinct phases were identified. Firstly, intelligence gathering to understand the location, content, entry requirements, and career options for potential course and institution combinations. Secondly, self-reflection to establish whether, knowing themselves, students feel as though they would be successful on a particular course at a particular institution. These findings align with research into gender imbalance in STEM and Higher Education more broadly, but go beyond this to broaden current debates with a focus on chemistry in particular.

ORCID iDs

Crossdale, Rachel, Scott, Fraser J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0229-3698 and Sweeney, Gemma;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:80289
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    5 October 2022
    Published
    27 May 2022
    Published Online
    12 April 2022
    Accepted
    Notes:The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2021-0030).
    Subjects:Education > Education (General)
    Science > Chemistry
    Department:Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:26 Apr 2022 00:26
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 13:27
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/80289
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