Single-Sex Education and Co-Education - Assignment Example

SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION AND CO-EDUCATION Contents Sr. # Topic Pg Introduction 2 2. Problem ment 3 3. Objectives 4 4. Literature Review 4 5. Schedule 6. Qualifications References 8 1. Introduction There has been a renewed interest in assessing the benefits and significance of single-sex education and co-education as a system of learning in schools, and has been highly debated during the recent years, by authors, academicians and policy makers alike. Opinions regarding the ability of single-sex or co-educational system of education with respect to maximizing the overall performance of the students, grooming them for acquiring leadership and cognitive skills, minimizing instances of sexual harassment, and reinforcing gender stereotypes, are varied. While some researchers have stressed on the advantages and significance of single-sex education as the single most tool of enhancing the educational experience of the students and securing their long term prospects, yet others have vehemently opposed the same, categorizing such a system as essentially reintroducing gender barriers and providing differing treatment to students on the basis of their gender. This paper focuses on the both these aspects from a broad perspective and explores the vast amount of literature available to arrive at a logical conclusion. Although, with respect to any given educational setting, learning outcomes are a consequence of an interplay of various factors – such as, social, emotional, psychological, physical and intellectual and can hardly be construed as resulting from a single variable. The educational policy of the schools, composition of subjects taught, family background of the students etc work collaboratively towards enhancing the student’s overall performance. 2. Problem Statement The present decade has witnessed the resurfacing of the single-sex educational system, which is largely attributed to the transformation in the educational reform policies, and most of all to the rising cynicism about the credibility of co-educational systems with respect to its ability to offer an unbiased learning environment to the students and its approach towards the treatment of issues concerning gender bias. The arguments in favor of and against a particular type of educational system which has helped shaped our perspectives, although wide in number, are more or less, ambiguous both in terms of nature and content, and hence inconclusive. The success or failure of a single-sex education or co-education is dependent on various factors such as the objectives and mission of the institutions, indicators of success used to analyze the phenomenon, historical perspectives, financial constraints, availability of resources etc. among others. Given the fact that all types of educational institutions regardless of the composition of its students, aim for excellence in learning, and supporting the students in achieving an overall development; the decision regarding which type of educational setting is better becomes all the more complex. On the basis of available literature, this study attempts to seek answers to the question: ‘Whether there are any major differences observed in students studying in single-sex or co-educational environment?’ and What type of differences are observed among such students? 3. Objectives A single-sex educational setting offers certain specific benefits to girls such as an improved self-esteem, lesser instances of gender stereotyping particularly with regard to the choice of disciplines which they intend to pursue, and a comfortable learning environment Factors other than the gender composition (e.g., quality of teaching, socio-economic status of the students) are held by various researchers to be equally important in terms of learning outcomes of the students One of the most widely cited reasons supporting single-sex education was the brain differences i.e. differences in structure of brains, between girls and boys 4. Literature Review The National Association of Single Sex Public Education defines the term single sex education as – an environment which comprises of students of a single-gender i.e. either all males or all females (NASSPE, 2010). The single-sex educational setting can be a single-sex class in a co-educational school or an independent single-sex school. According to certain researchers and academic scholars, a single-sex educational environment hampers the development of a child by separating them, and thus leading to mixed messages regarding survival in the real world, while supporters of single-sex education view it as an equitable opportunity afforded to the students to excel on the basis of their mental and cognitive strengths, which have been scientifically proved to be distinct for both the genders. According to Stritmatter (1999) there is a strong and positive relationship between the emotional and academic development of an individual, and imparting educational training to students in a segregated setting, leads to the an improved environment which is essential for excelling in academics. Further, research suggests that both the genders benefit equitably by single-sex educational settings, the advantages were far more pronounced for girls as compared to boys while boys tend to benefit more in a co-educational settings as compared to girls (Wong, Lam, Ho, 2002). According to Forgasz & Leder (1995), girls in a single-sex educational setting were found to benefit more in terms of development of self-confidence, and achievement as well as arts and music (Colley, Comber & Hargreaves, 1998) while in case of boys in a single-sex educational setting, the positive outcomes were observed in terms of development of a positive attitude towards language, arts and foreign languages, (Salomone, 2003) which are seemingly feminine qualities, thus refuting the accusation of gender bias encouraged by single-sex schools. On the other hand, other researchers such as Warrington & Younger (2003) attributed the positive development in both boys and girls, to the quality of teaching rather than the gender composition in classrooms. The fact that girls and boys have certain significant biological differences is undeniable. This causes their brains to function differently and hence the plays a major role in their academic achievement. Boys tend to excel in math and science while girls are known to be more inclined towards language arts and reading (Sax, 2006). Thus, regardless of the educational setting, the genetic and biological differences also play a major role in the manner in which students perform academically and hence, their academic achievements cannot be completely attributed to the type of educational setting in which they are enrolled. Several researchers have focused on the advantages of a single-sex education system. According to Spade (2004) girls are most disadvantaged in a co-educational setting since they are often given differential treatment by the teachers. Streittmatter (1999) further justifies this observation, by stating that classrooms in a co-educational setting are biased towards boys are more pro-boys which affects the girl student in a negative way and hampers their self-confidence. Lawlos & Fox (2005) state that is the loss of such self-confidence among girls which causes the boys to dominate them even further and which ultimately results in underperformance of girls in co-educational schools. Furthermore, Salomon (2003) claim that single-sex schools tend to have a relatively more meticulous curriculum, which is helpful in resolving issues related to drug abuse, teen pregnancy, aggression and violence among students, correct drop-out rates etc., among others. Similarly, there are arguments in favor of co-education schools as well. According to Zwerling (2006) single-sex schools tend to reinforce the notions of gender stereotyping, since such schools teach boys to be more ‘macho’ and girls to display ‘nurturing’ attributes. According to Baron-Cohen (2006) separating children on the basis of gender dissuades them from learning about each other and learning to co-exist. Conclusion In conclusion, there are various views and counter views both in support of and against single-sex and co-educational environment. Thus it is safe to presume that it is not the gender based educational setting alone, that influences higher academic outcomes for boys or girls, but a host of other factors such as socio-economic background of the pupil; school curriculum, objectives and goals; quality of student-teacher interaction as well the apparent genetic and biological differences. Moreover, investing huge amount of financial resources in a bid to investigate the type of educational setting which is more influential and better for students is a complete waste of funds, and the money should instead be invested in more productive alternatives such as enhancing the overall system of education, or improving the existing ones; helping teachers to acquire better knowledge regarding handling students and deal with problems associated with them, such as gender issues, academic performance and other personal and academic concerns. Both the sides have their own points of view which are, both - valid and substantial, yet somehow inconclusive, if viewed only in terms of gender composition. References Baron-Cohen, S. (2003) Men, women and the extreme male brain, London: Penguin Colley, A., Comber, C., & Hargreaves, D. (1998). IT and music education: What happens to boys and girls in co-ed and single sex schools. British Journal of Music Education, 10(2), Pp. 123-124. Forgasz, H. J., & Leder, G. C. (1995). Single-sex mathematics classes: Who benefits? Nordic Studies in Mathematics, 3(1), Pp. 27-46. Lawlos, J. L., & Fox, R. L. (2005). It takes a candidate: why women don’t run for office. Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press National Association for Single-Sex Public Education (NASSPE) (n.d.). Single-sex education. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.singlesexeschools.org/homeintroduction.html Salomone, R. C. (2003). Same, different, equal: Rethinking single-sex schooling, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Sax, L. (2006). Why Gender Matters What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences. Retrieved March 25, 2010 from http://www.singlesexschools.org/home.php Spade, J. Z. (2004). Gender and education in the United States. In J. H. Ballantine and J. Z. Spade (Eds.). Schools and society: a sociological approach to education. Pp.103- 128 Streitmatter, J. L. (1999). For girls only: making a case for single-sex schooling. New York, NY: State University of New York Warrington, M., & Younger, M. (2003). ‘We decided to give it a twirl’: Single-sex teaching in English comprehensive schools. Gender and Education, 15(4), Pp. 339-350. Wong, K., Lam, Y. R., & Ho, L. (2002). The effects of schooling on gender differences. British Educational Research Journal, 28(6), Pp. 827-843 Zwerling, E. (2006). California Study: Single-Sex Schools No Cure-All. Women’s E-News, 8, 4-6. Read More