Understanding the Experiences of Young Women in High School Physics

This research was motivated by the lack of diversity in undergraduate and graduate level physics in the United States. The qualitative study explores the experiences of six female students who enrolled in advanced physics at a suburban charter high school in southern California. Three rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted using the Zoom platform. Interview questions were crafted using an appreciative lens to highlight positive experiences with science, and to help the broader physics teacher community see what strategies are effective in attracting and retaining female physics students. The researcher coded the transcripts and used thematic analysis to identify six emergent themes from the participants’ responses. The following six themes identify common factors that influenced these female students’ decisions to enroll in advanced physics during their senior year of high school: preparation for college, personal connections with teachers, teachers as mentors, family support of STEM education, inspiration/motivation from peers, and early exposure to STEM. The findings from this study call for physics educators to make a dedicated effort to promote a positive and collaborative culture in and out of the physics classroom, to provide opportunities for female students to form strong peer connections and build their physics identities, and to involve and expose families to the relevance of physics as a field of study.