  A large body of research shows that using interactive engagement pedagogy in
the introductory physics classroom consistently results in significant student
learning gains; however, with a few exceptions, those learning gains tend not
to be accompanied by more expertlike attitudes and beliefs about physics and
learning physics. In fact, in both traditionally taught and active learning
classroom environments, students often become more novicelike in their
attitudes and beliefs following a semester of instruction. Further, prior to
instruction, men typically score higher than women on conceptual inventories,
such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), and more expertlike on attitudinal
surveys, such as the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS),
and those gender gaps generally persist following instruction. In this paper,
we analyze three years of pre-post matched data for physics majors at Virginia
Tech on the FCI and the CLASS. The courses were taught using a blended
pedagogical model of peer instruction, group problem solving, and direct
instruction, along with an explicit focus on the importance of conceptual
understanding and a growth mindset. We found that the FCI gender gap decreased,
and both men and women showed positive, expertlike shifts on the CLASS. Perhaps
most surprisingly, we found a meaningful correlation between a student's post-
CLASS score and normalized FCI gain for women, but not for men.
