Knowledge Bank

Within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classrooms, how do women students perform compared to men? The answer to this question reveals a surprising discrepancy: On exam assignments, like midterms, women score lower than men, even when controlling for ACT scores. However, on non-exam assignments, such as labs and homework, women score higher than men (Clark et al., 2021; Salehi et al., 2019; Simmons & Heckler, 2020; Kost et al., 2009).This variance may occur, at least in part, because of the type of question typically included within each assignment category. Exams typically utilize multiple-choice questions while other assignments employ show-work questions. The present research explores possible psychological processes that may explain why question format contributes to this gender difference. In this study, men and women (N = 94) were assigned to view two syllabi (i.e., multiple-choice and show-work) with corresponding exams. We examined the effect of question type on three psychological mechanisms: stereotype threat, belonging threat, and the perceived mindset of the professor. Results did not support the hypothesis. Contrary to our predictions, both men and women reported more belonging threat when viewing short-response materials. Additionally, there was no significant difference in stereotype threat nor professor mindset between men and women when viewing materials. Further research is required to pinpoint what drives the gender difference within STEM classrooms and the best methods to eliminate this disparity.