A Comparison of Single Gender and Coeducational Classrooms, Student Engagement, and Achievement Scores

• Main Author: Pendleton, Myra
• Language: EN
• Published: Lindenwood University 2016
• Subjects: Educational evaluation|Education
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10027098

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the academic achievement in reading among students enrolled in single-gender and coeducational classes, as well as the impact of teachers&rsquo; perceptions on the outcome of academic achievement. The study used a mixed-method approach to address this purpose. This study reported quantitative findings from reading scores on the Acuity test for 396 students in grades two through eight, from four elementary and two middle schools within an urban district in Missouri. Acuity scores were examined in several ways: comparison of the means for coeducational and single-gendered classrooms by grade and gender, as well as Chi-Square test of significance and the analysis of variance. The findings of the study varied by grade level for single-gender and coeducation classrooms, but overall there was no significant difference. Using the qualitative method, this study reported findings from 36 teachers that were in six different groups. The researcher divided the teacher participants into six sample groups. Each group consisted of six subjects. Two groups taught single-gendered classes of the same sex. Another two groups taught single-gendered classes of the opposite sex as the instructor, and the last two groups taught coeducational classes. The results of the teacher perceptions indicated that a single-gendered classroom did not necessary alter student behavior. If student behavior was not altered, there was no expectation of positive change in student achievement. The overall findings of this study concluded that there was no significant difference in student achievement between single-gendered and coeducational classrooms in an urban setting. From this study, the researcher recommended that school leaders should cautiously embrace single-gendered classrooms, due to the notion that they do not necessarily fulfill the claims that supports previously made.</p>