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Parents Explain More Often to Boys Than to Girls During Shared Scientific Thinking

May 3, 2001 | Public Programs

Young children's everyday scientific thinking often occurs in the context of parent-child interactions. In a study of naturally occurring family conversation, parents were three times more likely to explain science to boys than to girls while using interactive science exhibits in a museum. This difference in explanation occurred despite the fact that parents were equally likely to talk to their male and female children about how to use the exhibits and about the evidence generated by the exhibits. The findings suggest that parents engaged in informal science activities with their children may be unintentionally contributing to a gender gap in children's scientific literacy well before children encounter formal science instruction in grade school.

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  • 2013 05 17 Kevin crowley headshot
    Author
    University of Pittsburgh
  • mc 12
    Author
    University of California-Santa Cruz
  • Harriet Tenenbaum
    Author
    University of California-Santa Cruz
  • Elizabeth Allen
    Author
    University of California-Santa Cruz
  • Citation

    ISSN : 0956-7976
    Publication Name: Psychological Science
    Volume: 12
    Number: 3
    Page Number: 258
    Resource Type: Report
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: Pre-K Children (0-5) | Families | Parents/Caregivers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Public Programs

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