As part of study, Form one students were asked to find out whether girls performing better than boys in physics. If you are the one;
Ask questions, formulate hypothesis and carry out experiment to test your hypothesis and draw conclusions
Questions:
1) Are girls outperforming boys in physics?
2) What factors could potentially influence the performance of girls and boys in physics?
Hypothesis:
Considering the social and cultural factors, girls might be performing better than boys in physics due to increased opportunities and encouragement in recent years.
Experiment:
1) Selection of Participants:
- Randomly select an equal number of girls and boys from Form one students.
- Ensure an equal distribution in terms of academic backgrounds and previous exposure to physics.
2) Baseline Assessment:
- Conduct a pre-test to determine the existing knowledge and understanding of physics among both girls and boys.
- The pre-test should cover the key concepts and principles taught in Form one physics.
3) Create Study Groups:
- Divide the selected participants into two groups.
- Group A: Consists of girls
- Group B: Consists of boys
4) Teaching Intervention:
- Provide additional mentoring and teaching sessions to Group A (girls) on the topics covered in the pre-test. Ensure this is done by a knowledgeable physics teacher who remains neutral throughout the process.
- Group B (boys) will not receive any additional teaching intervention and will continue with regular classroom learning.
5) Post-Intervention Assessment:
- Conduct a post-test for both groups to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of physics after the intervention period.
- The post-test should cover the same concepts and principles as the pre-test.
6) Data Analysis:
- Analyze the pre- and post-test scores separately for both groups (girls and boys).
- Compare and contrast the average scores and improvement rates between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Based on the analysis of the pre- and post-test scores, if the average scores and improvement rates of girls are higher than boys, it can be concluded that girls perform better in physics. However, if there is no significant difference in the scores, the hypothesis cannot be accepted, and it shows that there is no gender-based performance disparity in physics.