Gender differences in high school physics performance

After discussing the differences in gender throughout class, and reading some of the posts on the blog, the 

notion that gender differences are a result of societal influence is apparent. Although many of the points raised in class are persuasive and valid, I am still not convinced that there is no biological difference between men and women. I truly believe that biology plays a part in the way women and men act. An effective example is the population of girls that were enrolled in high school AP physics classes in 2009. Roughly encompassing, 36.5% of AP physics students, female high school students are fairly represented (White 1). However, female performance on the AP Physics exams demonstrates a strong sense of incapability when compared to males’ performance. Males and females do not take and pass the AP Physics exam at the same rates (White 1). Not only do fewer eligible females take the end-of-year exam, but they also perform more poorly. Specifically, an average of 55% of females passes this exam in comparison to 68.5% of males (White 2). Although each student taking the exam covers the same material in class, is asked the same exam questions, and has nearly identical testing conditions to other students, females consistently perform more poorly on the exam. Statistics seem to favor the idea that men are more capable in science fields, such as physics. In a society that places a strong emphasis on science and technology, the argument that men have a sense of superiority is fair.

The article from which I obtained this material can be found at 

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:793Q3CUluRsJ:www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/hsfemales.pdf+Female+AP+physics+scores&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjdp4z9nlpGRbmR-BbAvqyW7vwNkTnOmheXXnuBGc2djajablhr6W26jitPeq9vJY-CgbyxZlN6qEvgxNuqgSbaJnptT2ltjC72mkmF0BhScx7xQzN89wYU6kCv0JPRqkG9-4s0&sig=AHIEtbQqhHyY0Rdg1D_QFYgsdtUXMGIKUQ. 

This article provides numerous statistics and graphs that demonstrate significant differences between males and females. Although the number of females taking high school physics classes has increased, female performance on the AP Physics exam remains below the performance of males on the same test. Biology provides an answer for the differences in performance. Males and females learn the same material and are subjected to the standardized questions on the AP exam; yet, performance still differs. Such difference indicates the fact that men possess a particular biological quality that allows them to have a higher aptitude for physics.