Gender-separate schools, also known as single-sex schools, fall under a type of educational institution that caters to a specific sex and has the purpose of separating the male students from the female students. In this setting, the students are admitted and segregated based on their gender. Ideally, the curriculum and approach of teachers should entail gender-specific learning strategies and considerations. The said kind of schools are lesser in number compared to the co-ed schools, which espouses to a structure that is commonly accepted in different countries all over the globe.In the co-ed setting, students are admitted to the school regardless of their gender. Likewise, the instruction of teachers are usually meant for the general population and disregards the specific learning needs and processes for either the male or female students.
In terms of the benefit derived by students and teachers, the single-sex schools are deemed better in comparison to the co-ed or mixed-sex schools because of its impact on academic achievement and instruction.Academic Achievement According to Ollendick and Schroeder (2003), the term “academic achievement” is defined to be “the knowledge and skills that an individual learns through direct instruction” (p. 1). The concept is often measured through a variety of assessment tools, which include examinations, quizzes, recitations, and the like.
Likewise, there are also standardized national tests that examine the capabilities of students in a particular territory.In this respect, several studies have shown that the students coming from single-sex schools achieve better results and attitudes towards academic achievement as compared to the students coming from co-ed schools. Based on the online article of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE) (2010), both male and female students who come from gender-separated schools have scored better in different tests in comparison to those students coming from the co-ed schools.In fact, the study carried out by researchers from the Stetson University reveals a great difference between the scores of student in co-ed classes and the scores of students coming from single-sex classes in the fourth grade level.
The results are as follows: 37 % proficiency for boys in co-ed classes, 86 % proficiency for boys in single-sex classes, 59 % proficiency for girls in co-ed classes, and 75 % proficiency for single-sex classes (NASSPE, 2010).Several research studies are also included by the NASSPE (2010) and all of which support the argument that the implementation of gender-separation in different schools yields greater success for the academic achievement of students. In addition to this, Leung (2006) also quoted the words of Ian Dobson, a researcher of the Monash University, who mentioned that “for boys and girls alike, students that had been in single-sex schools got better ENTERs (tertiary entrance ranks), irrespective of the sector” (n. . ).The said study included Catholic Schools, Government Schools, and Independent Schools (Leung, 2006).
All of the students belonging to the single-sex schools in the three clusters mentioned have achieved better scores than their co-ed counterparts. Indeed, the findings of the several research studies supported the existence of comparative advantage for the students belonging to the single-sex classes in comparison to the co-ed classes.A variety of factors serve to influence the learning processes that occur among the students, which include addressing the gender-specific needs of students and the level of self-esteem exhibited by students in the classrooms. More specifically, the students are able to learn with pupils who have the same learning characteristics as theirs and can communicate better with others whom they share certain characteristics. Instruction In terms of instruction, the male and female students possess different learning styles based on the known differences of the brain based on their gender.
William and Dunn (2008) recognized the existence of dissimilarities between the male and female brains and further discussed the implications of such differences to the learning capabilities of men and women. For example, men respond better to visual stimulus while the women favor the verbal-emotional stimuli (Williams & Dunn, 2008). In recognition of these differences, mentors can provide better modes of instruction when the students are segregated based on their gender because they can design the curriculum and teaching strategy better.The teachers would also have lesser difficulty in terms of encouraging and understanding the learning pace and characteristics of the students because an individual framework can be used for each of the two genders.
Expectedly, the knowledge of teachers with regard to the learning styles of students would enable them to harness the strengths of each group. Lastly, the teachers can also address the weaknesses of both the male and female students separately and in a more focused manner.Single-sex schools and co-ed schools are two school types that differ based on the use of gender as a determining factor in admissions. Single-sex schools, also known as gender-separate schools, are educational institutions that segregate the male students from the female students. On the other hand, the co-ed schools cater to both the male and female students and make no attempt to separate the male students from the female students. In terms of academic achievement and specificity of instruction, the single-sex schools provide more benefits to both the students and teachers in comparison to those in co-ed schools.
First, research studies conducted on students from gender-separate schools and co-ed schools have shown that the scores achieved by the former are higher or better than the latter. Some of the research studies are discussed in the online article published by the National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE) (2010). The factors that lead to the academic success of the students in single-sex schools include the feelings of ease and ability to relate to others who share the same learning process as theirs.Second, the segregation of male and female students also allows the teachers to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and the specific learning characteristics of each group.
Once these are identified, the teachers can provide for better learning strategies that are specifically suited to the individual needs of the male and female students. Likewise, the teachers can grasp a better understanding of the stimuli that ignites the learning interests of the students.