Gender differences in the use of an online homework system in an introductory physics course

Abstract

The two genders make different use of being allowed multiple tries to solve online homework problems: male students frequently attempt to immediately solve the problem, while female students are more likely to first interact with peers and teaching assistants before entering answers. More male than female students state that they use the multiple allowed attempts to enter ``random stuff,'' while more female than male students state that the multiple attempts allow them to explore their own problem solving approaches without worrying or being stressed out by grades.