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Student motivational beliefs in introductory physics courses can influence their course outcomes as well as their retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and future career aspirations. Prior research has shown that students' perceived recognition by others as a physics person is important in predicting their physics identity and career choices. This study used validated survey data from 827 students in the first of two college algebra-based introductory physics courses primarily taken by bioscience majors, in which women make up approximately 67% of the class. We investigated how the students' perceived recognition by instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) as a physics person predicts their grade at the end of a mandatory physics course for bioscience majors in which women are not outnumbered by men. We found that overall women had lower perceived recognition than men as a physics person and their perceived recognition played an important role in predicting course grades controlling for high school GPA and math SAT scores. Since physics as a discipline presents a barrier to women due to deep-rooted societal stereotypes and biases about who can excel in it, the numerical representation of women alone in these courses does not imply that they will feel recognized by their instructors and TAs as a physics person without an intentional effort to make the learning environment equitable and inclusive. These findings suggest that physics instructors and TAs should focus on changing the culture in their physics classes and create an equitable and inclusive learning environment in which students from traditionally marginalized demographic groups, e.g., women, feel recognized, and can excel.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 18, Issue 1, Pages 010138
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=16096">Cwik, Sonja, and Chandralekha Singh. "Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18, no. 1, (May 31, 2022): 010138.</a>
![]() S. Cwik and C. Singh, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18 (1), 010138 (2022), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138).
![]() S. Cwik and C. Singh, Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18 (1), 010138 (2022), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138>.
![]() Cwik, S., & Singh, C. (2022, May 31). Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 18(1), 010138. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138
![]() Cwik, Sonja, and Chandralekha Singh. "Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18, no. 1, (May 31, 2022): 010138, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138 (accessed 21 April 2025).
![]() Cwik, Sonja, and Chandralekha Singh. "Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18.1 (2022): 010138. 21 Apr. 2025 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138>.
![]() @article{
Author = "Sonja Cwik and Chandralekha Singh",
Title = {Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades},
Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.},
Volume = {18},
Number = {1},
Pages = {010138},
Month = {May},
Year = {2022}
}
![]() %A Sonja Cwik %A Chandralekha Singh %T Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students' lower grades %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 18 %N 1 %D May 31, 2022 %P 010138 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Journal Article %A Cwik, Sonja %A Singh, Chandralekha %D May 31, 2022 %T Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students' lower grades %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 18 %N 1 %P 010138 %8 May 31, 2022 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010138 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. Not feeling recognized as a physics person by instructors and teaching assistants is correlated with female students’ lower grades:
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Students’ sense of belonging in introductory physics course for bioscience majors predicts their grade
A 2022 study by the same researchers on how a sense of belonging in an introductory physics course for bioscience majors predicted female students' grades. relation by Caroline HallKnow of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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