Single-Sex Education: an Improvement?

By: Linda Wu

writing Grade 9-10

"Rigorous educational research has found that, contrary to popular belief, single-sex education does not produce better achievement outcomes compared to coeducation," writes Rebecca Bigler and Lise Eliot, authors of The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling. Also, while a child's education may be one of single-sex, the world he or she will continue in would not be. Knowing that, it is essential to have these teamwork skills between sexes developed at a young age; in a coeducational environment. Although single-sex schools in America are popular, it can do more harm than good, creating a lack of communication which can undermine potential partnerships with the opposite sex in a work environment, while establishing very little differences in learning styles between both genders, and promoting gender stereotypes.

Growing up in a single-sex environment at school, where most relationships with people are established, will not exercise healthy interactions between sexes needed in the real world. "Single-sex education reduces boys’ and girls’ opportunities to work together and learn from each other. These integrated interactions are known to be the most effective method for improving relations among groups of people. Girls may help boys learn better self control; boys may coax greater energy and challenge out of girls," writes R. S Bigler and L. S Liben on the American Council for Coeducational Schooling website. Even though some believe that students in a single-sex environment learn better without distractions from the opposite sex, this has not actually been proven true, according to Tim Barribeau's article at io9.com. Basically, students will have to learn how to work with the opposite sex sooner or later in life, and it would be agreeable to first practice that skill at a young age.

Realistically, the learning styles between both genders vary only slightly. Although one of the many reasons parents enroll their child in a single-sex school is because boys and girls learn differently, a study conducted in 2007 by the National Institute of Mental Health states that they found very little difference between the male and female adolescent brain when it came to learning styles. With this information, it is apparent that coeducation will be as beneficial to a specific gender's learning style just as single-sex education.

Finally, single-sex education reinforces gender stereotypes. A recent study from the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute concludes that: “Evidence is more clear that sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutionalized sexism." Fundamentally, this is saying that since students are working in an environment without the presence of the opposite sex, stereotypes can easily flourish without the students experiencing what the opposite sex is really like firsthand. In 2011, a research conducted at Arizona State University showed that when boys and girls spend time apart, they do not learn from each other and negative stereotypes are reinforced. This can be proven by Lynn Liben's research, showing that when both genders are separated for two weeks, students "played less with children of the opposite sex and held traditional stereotypical gender views."

In conclusion, coeducation is more beneficial to a student's learning and growth because it exposes students to all kinds of experiences with the opposite sex, such as working together on a project and developing friendships, rather than shielding them from social skills they will need later to succeed in life. Even though these schools are now more popular, they do create a barrier of communication between sexes which may lead to a lack of communication which can conflict future partnerships in the work area with the opposite sex, while establishing very little differences in learning styles between both genders, and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Put simply: “Men and women have to get along. They need practice doing this and a co-ed education allows them to practice this.” - Chris Blake.