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Disafvantages of single sex schools over mixed schools
Reasons why single gender schools are better than mixed schools
Reasons why single sex school is better than mixed school
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Probably the single sex and mixed schools’ issue has been discussed and debated in the UK more than in any country in the world. In the last four decades, in Great Britain, the total number of single-sex schools has reduced steeply. However, demand for single sex education for some courses is rising recently(Archer,2004,P.50). This essay will investigate whether coeducational schools are better than single sex schools or not.
There are a number of advantages to both single-sex and mixed-sex schools but to begin with, here are some of the benefits of single-sex schooling. Firstly, according to some statistics both boys and girls obtain higher marks in their final exams. A new UK-based investigation emphasised that pupils operated remarkably better in separate education as shown by the National Consortium for Examination Results(Kelly,1996,P.15). Another example can be seen from the table below
Both sexes performed better in the single-sex schools in all school types (Independent, Selective, Grant-maintained, Comprehensives and others).
Secondly, traditional subjects appear less in single-sex schooling than co-education schooling. It has been known for ages, some subjects are typically for men such as design, woodwork and metalwork. In addition, there are a few subjects such as chemistry, physics and mathematics in which the number of male students outweigh the number of female students. However, there are also a number of subjects which are dominated by females such as needlework, cookery and sociology. In addition, there are a few subjects which are studied by both sexes although predominantly by women. Commerce, foreign languages and music subjects are examples of subject that girls scholars select(see graph 1 and table 2...
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...ducation system also has some disadvantages. First of all, students in secondary co-educational schools in particular have more distractions than students in single-sex schools. During the adolescence period, when pupils are starting to think about creating a relationship with girlfriends and boyfriends they will be distracted from the educational demands, thereby affecting students’ results.
Moreover, gender stereotype is still clear in mixed-sex schooling whereas single-sex schooling it is less important.
All in all, this paper examined for both sides of the issue. Taking all things into account, on the one hand, single-sex education has affected on academic performance. On the other hand, mixed-sex education has affected on socio-economic and entrance criteria. I think mixed-sex schools with some separate subjects classes is the best education for both sexes.
All children are made differently, but the gender does not play a role in how well they do in school. For example, “upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but
As time allowed more men and more women to be schooled together, it was evident that a woman's presence alone would not ensure an equally beneficial education. The school systems continue to follow a gendered curriculum, created mainly by men in order to serve men. It is the reinforcement of the gender biases and assumptions through their methodical distribution and teaching of stereotypes and ideas that put the education of men and women on two separate levels. There is no example to follow when it comes to the equal education of children because even though they receive the same education, it is far from equal. It is this along with the lack of recognition towards women who have achieved greatness both in and out of education that creates an outsider status for the female student (Lasser, 1987).
It has been noticed that the amount of boys who are reading has greatly decreased, and men are shying away from jobs that involve reading. David Brooks has come up with a solution to this problem; he believes that single-sex schools would help boys and girls to achieve better grades, to gain more of a desire to read, and to break free from gender stereotypes. In the article “The Gender Gap at School”, David Brooks is correct in his stance, boys and girls should go to single-sex schools in order to help them succeed; therefore, boys will be more likely to do better in class if they are reading books that they are interested in because they can have more of a desire to read, can have more understanding, and can be taught differently if needed.
Colleges and schools where both females and males are educated together are termed to be “coeducational.” Long previous to our modern day society, segregating male and female in education systems was considered the “norm.” During these traditionally dominant ancient times, coeducation was prevalent in Europe and the idea of integrating such unique groups became such a phenomenon. This widespread of coeducation was eventually developed in American countries and has grown to be a universally accepted mode of education. Not only was this idea “new” and “innovative,” but it also crossed the line of our ancestor’s valued practice of tradition. Although this system went against what tradition honored, this new system of education generated comradery between individuals of the opposite sex and has knowledged them of skills one was unable to exercise in a single-sex educational environment. Coeducation, being the more modern system of education, has caused single-sex systems to become more outdated and inconvenient to society’s evolving standards. Exposure to the opposite sex introduces students life skills vital to a professional workfield thus, it shows males and females the importance of maintaining a symbiotic relationship and how they benefit from one another. Schools worldwide should consider the practice of educating students of both sexes in the same educational institution to allow for opportunity for one to build character in accordance to our evolving society and acquire flexibility in social skills.
Education was sex segregated for hundreds of years. Men and women went to different schools or were physically and academically separated into “coeducational” schools. Males and females had separate classrooms, separate entrances, separate academic subjects, and separate expectations. Women were only taught the social graces and morals, and teaching women academic subjects was considered a waste of time.
Sending a child to a gender based school, is a very big decision to make. The decision is so big, that looking at what research has to say about the topic could alter one’s decision to send their child to a gender based school. “Educators must apply different approaches in teaching make, and female students” (Gurian). This is said by Gurian, because he also believes that boys and girls learn differently. “Social pressures can be gentler and your child can learn at his own pace” (Kennedy).
It seems that single-sex education perpetuates gender stereotypes and promotes gender bias among students (Taylor). Gender-separate education requires schools and teachers to create gender-oriented courses, facilities, and learning environment. As a result, sing-sex schools exacerbate sexist attitudes and “feelings of superiority toward women” (Guarisco). It is fair to argue that the best way to achieve gender equality is to promote rather than eliminate interaction among girls and boys. However, girls in the sex-mixed class receive less attention from teachers than boys, which may lead to gender bias. More precisely, boys always have disciplinary issues, such as interruption; teachers have to pay more attention to boys’ behaviors in order to proceed the lecture more smoothly. Girls may feel less important and supportive in male-dominated classes; boys may think that males are smarter and far superior than females. Single-sex schools can address both girls’ and boys’ issues of gender stereotypes directly and accordingly. Male students may be freer to engage in some activities they have not considered before in mixed schools. For example, boys feel pressure to follow some non-macho interests when girls stay around them; however, the all-boys schools eliminate their pressure toward gender stereotyping to pursue music, dance, and drawing. Single-sex schools would help boys explore and develop themselves. Also, girls in sex-separate schools show more confidence and power (Guarisco). They could receive full attention from teachers and express their opinions in science classes without worrying about the boys’ banter. They may realize that they are as important as boys. Hence, both girls and boys can be free from gender stereotypes and benefit from a same-sex learning
Most students are against the same school. They want to flirt with the cute guy in math or ask the shy girl in history for a pencil, even if they already have one. Same-sex classrooms provide a multitude of benefits, because they promote better behavior, higher grades, improved self-esteem, and are able to cater to a student’s needs. The same classes make it possible for teachers to cater to student needs in a more efficient way. In general, boys benefit from hands-on learning, but girls benefit from calm discussions (Mullins 3).
In the past decade, research showed that in the process of education in some countries, girls do better than boys, this problem was called ‘a boy’s problem’. The Dutch Ministry of Education published the study which examines the boys’ and girls’ position in primary school based on previous studies (Driessen, Langen, 2013). As a matter of fact, this problem is not a new question, and there are many discussions about gender differences. An important part of the problem is that boys’ scores are far below those of girls. In all education, based on some researchers' opinions, involving spatial and mathematical reasoning, skills, boys always doing better than girls, but in the aspects of language application and writing, girls often do better than boys (Bonomo, 2010).
The proponents of single-sex education argue that boys and girls have differing needs and that their styles of learning are different. Education which respects personal differences must take this into account. ( Mullins 124) Single-gender schools seem logical, than, to a public that accepts that gender differences are real and likes the idea of expanding choices. (Silv...
There are many reasons that parents, students and administrators look down upon single gender education. One of the largest of these reasons is the issue of stereotypes. According to Kim Gandy, presi...
Some people think that single sex schools are good because girls and boys feel free to talk, ask and raise their hands without being made fun of, "The theoretical approach termed 'girl power' argues that girls lag behind boys in some subject in co-ed classrooms." (predit, 2014). However, Single sex schools are very bad because it affects children attitude, they will find difficulty in communicating with their colleagues in college as they were secluded and didn't interact with other sex in school. Boys and girls should know from a young age how to deal with the opposite sex, instead of facing that when they become adults, and don't have experience on what to do. Students in single-sex classrooms will one day live and work side-by-side with members of the opposite sex .Educating students in single-sex schools restrains their chance to work helpfully and cooperate effectively with parts of the inverse sex. "It is not long before the youth of today will be the parents, co-workers and leaders of tomorrow" (strauss, 2012). "Anything we organize along any variable, if we're saying boys he...
Pahlke, Erin, J.S. Hyde, Mertz, J.E. “Effects of Single-Sex Compared With Coeducational School on Mathematics and Science Achievement: Data From Korea.” Journal of Educational Psychology 105.2 (2013): 444-452. EBSCO 18 February 2014.
Finally, there is no one sex school is going to be right for every student. There are many advantages and disadvantages mentioned in that essay before. But it's thought all over the world that the coeducation is preferred worldwide. About 90 % of schools all over the world are stuck to co-education. Mixed-sex education has achieved higher success rate. They also graduate students who are settled emotionally and able to deal with the real society. "There are not any dominant blessings for single-sex schools on academic grounds. Studies all over the world have failed to expose any major variations.'' - Academician Alan Smothers, director of education and employment analysis at the University of Buckingham 2011.
Students are more focused and therefore have better test scores in single-sex classrooms. Although stereotypes are formed because of separating genders, a study in the 2009 British Educational Research Journal concluded that in single-sex classrooms, girls achieve more in math and science while boys achieve more in English (Kwong). Stereotypes have been developed early on of what girls and boys are more proficient at. Naturally girls are better at English; boys, math and science (compound sentence: elliptical construction). Single-sex classes encourage girls to pursue more in science and math and boys in English because it takes away gender stereotypes. If a boy and a girl are in the same science class working together, the girl becomes the scribe to write down data while the boy is doing the experiment (Kwong). Math and scien...