Making Physics Appealing to Female Students: Perspectives of Female Students and Physics Lecturers

Abstract

This paper describes a qualitative study of how to improve females’ involvement in the learning of physics at the tertiary level. The study was conducted at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and some select Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. Participants for the study were undergraduate female non-physics students, undergraduate female physics students, SHS final year female science students and physics lecturers and tutors. The study found that majority of female students do not pursue physics at higher levels of education because they perceived the subject as difficult, irrelevant, and one that has no or limited career opportunities. The participants, however, were optimistic that female participation in physics can be improved if necessary steps were taken to erase the widely held perceptions that have been associated with the study of the subject and its related career opportunities.