Alternative hypothesis to your alternative hypothesis: if you have a class of finite time, increasing the engagement of one group by means of removing obstacles

Alternative hypothesis to your alternative hypothesis: if you have a class of finite time, increasing the engagement of one group by means of removing obstacles to engagement means that the rest of the class will have comparatively less class time and attention devoted to them, and thus see decreased performance. Or maybe you're right, and male physics students are typically such pricks that having to think about feelings for fifteen minutes causes a semester-long depressive spiral. Could go either way.