Società Italiana di Fisica - 111° Congresso Nazionale - Palermo 22-26 settembre 2025

This paper presents a pedagogical intervention targeted at secondary school students devel- oped by two researchers in physics. The project seeks to narrow the gender gap in STEM fields by fostering students’ critical awareness of gender stereotypes and roles, helping them to recognize the influence that gender has on their educational choices and professional aspi- rations. Unlike other orientation programs, here STEM subjects are not the explicit content, rather the working methodology. Our intervention adopts a project-based learning approach introduced by a board game designed to engage students in the topic. Students are guided in carrying out an autonomous investigation of gender discrepancies within their family, school, and peer contexts through a scientific approach, by administering surveys, gathering and analyzing data, and using gender indicators. The final objective is developing a Gender Report of the school. After presenting the project, we document the project experience in nine schools of the Naples (Italy) area through a qualitative analysis of students’ Reports, focusing on the gender dynamics they have identified, as well as the facilitators’ observations.