Baker, D., & Jacobs, K. (1999, January 1). Winners and Losers in Single-Sex Science and Mathematics Classrooms. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED445900) Retrieved June 18, 2009, from ERIC database.
The Baker and Jacobs study (link for Washburn students), though a few years old, illustrates the hazards of rushing in to the single-sex fad. “The research was conducted in two single-sex 7th grade mathematics and two single-sex 7th grade science classrooms taught by female teachers” (3). A few juicy morsels:
- “Most studies on single sex learning environments come from countries such as Australia, Jamaica, Nigeria, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Thailand, and there is little research on American public schools.” (1)
- “Some special education boys (2-3 per class) were placed in the all girl classes because they were unable to function in the all boy classes. The teachers also had more time to give to the special education boys in the all girl classes.” (3)
- 3 dimensions: “(1) achievement, opportunity to learn, curriculum, cognitive demands, pedagogy, and technology; (2) attitude, empowerment, self-concept, and peer interactions; and (3) discipline and teacher-student interactions. “ (1)
- “…an all boy day was too difficult and exhausting. The teachers spoke of dressing for combat on all boy days.” (4)
- Girls did better than boys. (4)
- “A large number of boys were failing…Boys did not complete or [turn] in tests and daily assignments.” (4)
- “Boys had more difficulty with both low structure and high cognitive demand tasks and high structure and low cognitive demand tasks than girls.” (5)
- “Technology…motivated boys to stay on task and cooperate-operate.” (6)
- Technology bored girls for the most part unless it had a social component. (6)
- “Occasionally a girl would prefer a mixed class because she wanted to flirt with boys or because being with boys made her feel academically superior.” (6)
- “Teachers showed favoritism and tolerated more disciplinary infractions from girls than boys because the infractions were not as obvious.” (7)
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