Effects of Lab Group Sex Composition on Physics Learning

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the gender composition of university physics laboratory groups on student self-efficacy and quiz performance. Students from a Chinese university was chosen and subdivided into two groups, which were assigned either same-sex or coed laboratory teams while executing identical laboratory activities and instruction. Assessments were carried out prior to instruction and at the end of one semester. Students' self-efficacy and scores on laboratory quizzes were assessed. In this study, no statistically significant differences for the male students' self-efficacy gain and average laboratory quiz scores in the two types of team organization were found. In contrast, the female students' self-efficacy gain and lab quiz mean scores from same-sex teams were higher than ones from coed teams. So it delivered some messages to physics instructors and physics education researchers: Single-sex lab team education is beneficial for female students.