CANCELLED - Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Looking Beyond Academic Performance:The Influence of Instructor Gender onStudent Motivation in STEM Fields

This seminar has been cancelled due to weather.

Abstract

Recruiting more female faculty has been suggested as a policy option for addressing gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields given its ability to engage female students through a role model effect. While a small but growing body of literature has examined the role of instructor gender at the higher education level, it typically focuses only on academic outcomes. This paper utilizes a unique data set that includes not only information about student course performance in STEM but also a number of motivation-related measures. We find that having a female instructor narrows the gender gap in terms of engagement and interest; further, both female and male students tend to respond to instructor gender. We conclude by discussing the policy implications of these findings.

The Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar takes place every Wednesday from 8:30 to 10:00am in Weill Hall 3240, and breakfast is provided.