Curious to know why girls do choose physics A-level? This session presents the results and conclusions from a doctoral research project recently conducted in England.
Outcomes – Participants will be able to reflect on the uptake of A-level physics by girls in their school and take ideas from the research to employ in their own setting.
Following on from the results presented at ASE 2026 Annual Conference, this session will present the final results and findings from my EdD doctoral thesis into why girls do choose to study A-level physics. It is aimed at secondary school teachers and leaders looking to increase the numbers of girls choosing the subject, as well as researchers interested in physics education. There will be time allocated at the end of the presentation for comments, questions and discussion.
Background – At ASE Conference 2026, I presented the initial findings from my doctoral research project and in this session I will share the findings and conclusions presented in the thesis. The research draws upon my experience of teaching GCSE and A-level physics. Initially I was curious to know why girls who enjoyed physics at GCSE and were achieving top grades were not choosing to take the subject to A-level. The numbers of girls choosing A-level physics have remained stable over a few decades, so I decided to find out what it is about these girls to explain why they choose A-level physics through the use of focus groups and semi-structured interviews.
In my experience, girls studying A-level physics regularly outperformed the boys (in tests and conducting practical work) and so I wanted to know more about their reasons for choosing a subject that many girls choose not to study.
