Meta-analysis of Gender Performance Gaps in Undergraduate Natural Science Courses

Abstract

To investigate patterns of gender-based performance gaps, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished data collected across 169 undergraduate biology and chemistry courses. While we did not detect an overall gender gap in performance, heterogeneity analyses suggested further analysis was warranted, so we investigated whether attributes of the learning environment impacted performance disparities on the basis of gender. Several factors moderated performance differences, including class size, assessment type, and pedagogy. Specifically, we found evidence that larger classes, reliance on exams, and undisrupted, traditional lecture were associated with lower grades for women. We discuss our results in the context of natural science courses and conclude by making recommendations for instructional practices and future research to promote gender equity.

FIGURE 1.

Descriptive summary of classes in meta-analysis. (A) Histogram of class sizes; (B) number of comparisons for each assessment type: science CIs, course grade, exam grade; (C) classes by broad subject (biology or chemistry) and level (intro or non-intro); and (D) percentage of pedagogy categories.

FIGURE 2.

Standard error funnel plot addressing publication bias. In a study with minimal publication bias, data should be symmetrically spread, with the majority of data within the indicated cone.

FIGURE 3.

Predicted gender gaps across different class sizes and combinations of pedagogies (active, lecture) and assessment types (course grade, exam scores, and CIs) in units of Hedges’s g. Assuming grades are assigned on a bell curve, the difference of one Hedges’s g is approximately the difference of one letter grade (though interpretations will vary based on the class grade distribution).