Girls in the physics classroom

This report, published in June 2006, showed that girls were under-represented in physics post-16.  In 2006 the Institute of Physics published the results of a review that sought to identify causes of this issue. Following publication of the research findings, the Institute produced a teachers' guide to carrying out action research and two video films that explored ways in which schools could encourage girls to study physics post-16.

The guide supports teachers who want to carry out action research in the classroom:

1. Introduction

2. Action research

• What is action research?
• Why action research and not just action, or just research?
• What does action research involve?

3. Decide on your intervention

• What does educational research tell me?
• What is the situation in my classroom and school?
• Teachers’ top tips 10

4. Planning your action research project

• Writing an action research plan
• Research methods overview
• Qualitative or quantitative?
• Students as researchers
• The golden rule

5. Doing your action research project

• How long should my project last?
• I’m getting little or no interest or support from colleagues
• My intervention doesn’t seem to be working
• What if I end up engaging girls but putting the boys off?

6 .Reflecting on success

• What do I do with my data?
• How do I analyse quantitative data?
• How do I analyse qualitative data?
• Help! I have collected loads of data and I don’t know what to do with them
• How do I know what the data are telling me?

7. Sharing learning

• What’s the best way to communicate my research findings?
• What next?

8. Action research glossary

9. References

10. Action research toolkit

• Self-evaluation checklist
• Physics questionnaire
• Diamond 9 ranking activity
• Action research planning template
• Action research report template