Abstract:

The Somosaguas fossil-site on the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) is a reference not only because of its paleontological findings, but also for its student management project, with great projection in teaching and inclusive scientific dissemination. These excavations introduce to paleontological prospecting methodologies and excavation of vertebrate fossil sites. In addition, several geological activities are carried out to reinforce the knowledge in geology for both, students in Geology and other university degrees. Since 2002, all students of the Complutense University, regardless of the degree and course in which they are enrolled, can take part in this training activity. So far, students from more than 15 university degrees have signed up for this activity. Several studies in the field of education have valued this activity and the training and dissemination activities associated with the project, showing prominent results in terms of motivation and learning. Bounded to these excavations, and the associated research and dissemination project, several researchers (10 to 25) from different backgrounds have developed their studies. Among the researchers, over 65% of the members were women. As a result of an academic study for a Final Degree Project in Sociology in 2015, it was observed that despite their higher proportion, gender differences occurred in different situations during the excavation campaigns. This paper describes the results obtained from a subsequent study carried out during 2018 and 2019 on these differences and proposes a series of possibilities that tend to correct them. For this study, a methodology of participant observation and qualitative evaluation based on personal interviews with organizers and students has been used. The results show that during the excavation activities, both male and female students preferentially ask their doubts to the male teachers and, only on rare occasions, to the female teachers. It should be noted that this bias is observed even when the female directors themselves have been present at the site. On the other hand, it should be noted that this behavior is more significant among students of studies other than the Degree in Geology. However, no significant differences are observed according to gender in terms of the tasks that the organizers entrust to the students or the course in which they are enrolled. We propose some possible improvements such as the distribution of the space of the excavations in areas with a specific monitor to ask questions, explanation of the important studies carried out by the female professors in seminars prior to the excavation, etc.

Keywords:

Geology teaching, Fieldwork, Palaeontology, Gender differences, Geology dissemination.