Science at UM [S04-ep19]: A child-robot interaction to challenge gender stereotypes in math
This week on "Science at UM," Madalina Croitoru, a researcher at Lirmm, presents an experiment involving interaction between a robot and children to challenge gender stereotypes in mathematics. In the second segment, students in an optics lab class experiment with a laser cavity. A program broadcast every Wednesday on Divergence 93.9.
In a week’s time, the die will be cast for the nearly 650,000 high school seniors invited to submit their college applications on the ParcourSup platform. Will this year see the same gender biases in students’ choices reoccur once again? We’ll find out in a few weeks.
As early as 2022, the Maths et Sciences coalition —which brings together numerous secondary school teachers’ associations—raised the alarm over an unprecedented drop in the number of high school girls enrolled in science tracks. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of girls in the science track in their senior year fell by 28%, and by 61% in math-focused tracks.
The same group had previously compared the 2019 figures with those from 1994. While the percentage of girls in science tracks had risen from 40% to 47% over the course of 30 years, it had fallen back to 44% by 2021. As for the math track, female enrollment in that program dropped from 40% to 35% over the course of 30 years. How can we explain this decline in the number of girls in science tracks, given that they generally perform better than boys across all tracks and grade levels?
One theory is that the widespread prevalence of gender stereotypes tends to steer girls toward careers in the humanities, while boys are seen as naturally more gifted in mathematics. What is most damaging is that the internalization of these gender stereotypes often begins as early as elementary school.
In Montpellier, a team of researchers in robotics and social psychology decided to combine their expertise and use artificial intelligence to analyze gender stereotypes in perceptions of mathematical ability. To do this, they set up an experiment involving interaction between a robot and a class of 7-year-olds.
Madalina Croitoru is a computer scientist at the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics. While pursuing her PhD in cognitive science with the Epsylon Laboratory, she details the findings of this study:“A child-robot interaction experiment to analyze gender stereotypes in the perception of mathematical abilities.”
In the second half of the program, we’re staying in the realm of education, as the Faculty of Sciences is hosting us for a few weeks to give us a tour of its teaching facilities. We’re heading to the Triolet campus to observe practical labs on waves, electromagnetism, and optics led by Professors Guillet and Steeve Cronenberger. This week, two students have four hours to create a laser beam.
At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Director: Robin Laillou
Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
