When Making the Grade Isn't Enough: The Gendered Nature of Premed Science Course Attrition
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| Title: | When Making the Grade Isn't Enough: The Gendered Nature of Premed Science Course Attrition |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Witherspoon, Eben B. (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Researcher. May 2019 48(4):193-204. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2019 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 1524575 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Gender Differences, Premedical Students, Dropouts, Science Education, Prediction, Disproportionate Representation, Student Interests, Undergraduate Students, Introductory Courses, Academic Achievement, Females, Health, Research Universities, Salaries, Employment Level, Self Efficacy, Student Motivation, Intervention, College Entrance Examinations, Medical Schools, Advanced Placement, Educational Background, Organic Chemistry, Enrollment Trends, Grades (Scholastic) |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Medical College Admission Test |
| DOI: | 10.3102/0013189X19840331 |
| ISSN: | 0013-189X |
| Abstract: | Women take qualifying exams and enter medical school at substantially lower levels than predicted by their interest in medical degrees at the end of high school. We examined how science course experiences contribute to gendered attrition in premed using a multicohort data set of 8,253 undergraduates taking the traditional premed sequence of introductory science courses at a public research university between 2008 and 2016. Gendered attrition was not based in academic performance, was specific to high-performing women, and yet was grounded in competency beliefs. The result is that high-performing women often graduate with lower paying, lower status degrees. Motivational interventions in premed science courses will be critical for retaining high-performing women in premed, an important outcome with implications for equity and women's health. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2019 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1217476 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Women take qualifying exams and enter medical school at substantially lower levels than predicted by their interest in medical degrees at the end of high school. We examined how science course experiences contribute to gendered attrition in premed using a multicohort data set of 8,253 undergraduates taking the traditional premed sequence of introductory science courses at a public research university between 2008 and 2016. Gendered attrition was not based in academic performance, was specific to high-performing women, and yet was grounded in competency beliefs. The result is that high-performing women often graduate with lower paying, lower status degrees. Motivational interventions in premed science courses will be critical for retaining high-performing women in premed, an important outcome with implications for equity and women's health. |
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| ISSN: | 0013-189X |
| DOI: | 10.3102/0013189X19840331 |
