GENDER IN THE GEOSCIENCES: WHAT STUDENTS LIKE AND DISLIKE ABOUT COURSES AND FACULTY

To improve recruitment and retention of female students, it is important to understand the factors that attract and keep students in a geoscience major. In a large mixed methods study, we are investigating recruitment and retention of female students to a geoscience major. This presentation focuses on a part of the larger study. Students report that courses and faculty are important extrinsic factors that attract and keep them in a major. We investigated what female and male students like and dislike about faculty and courses. We explored differences and similarities across genders and across geoscience departments that have a high and low number of female graduates.

We collected focus group interview data from male and female students at 2 geoscience departments. One site had a high percentage of female graduates; one site had a low percentage of female graduates.

Male and female students did not differ on the aspects of courses that they liked or disliked. Overall, students liked geoscience class sizes, how geoscience course material was presented, and the subject matter of geoscience courses. Students disliked aspects of geoscience labs and the workload of courses for the major. Male and female students did not differ on the characteristics of faculty that they liked or disliked. Students liked faculty personality characteristics (e.g., engaging and accessible), teaching style (e.g., challenging), and faculty knowledge. However, female students focused more on what they liked about faculty teaching style than did male students. Students at the site with a high percentage of female graduates focused more on what they liked about faculty personality characteristics and faculty teaching style than did students at the site with a low percentage of female graduates. Students disliked poor teaching and aspects of faculty personality characteristics (e.g., being disorganized or not accessible). However, female students focused more on what they disliked about faculty personality characteristics and teaching style than did male students. Students at the site with a high percentage of female graduates focused more on what they disliked about faculty personality characteristics and faculty teaching style than did students at the site with a low percentage of female graduates.