Single-Sex Classrooms: Effects of Boys’ Achievement A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Research has shown that there is an increasing achievement gap occurring within the boy population regardless of age, ethnicity, or culture. They are differing reasons as to why this may be occurring, some being; poor literacy education in lower grades, dismissal of reading instruction in the upper grades, a lack of appropriate role models for boys, insufficient desirable text for boys, and unrealistic expectations pushed on boys too soon. A strategy in addressing this problem that is becoming increasingly popular is the implementation of single-sex classrooms. There is much debate on whether this is an effective strategy as researchers attempt to fill in the gaps associated with the implementation of single-sex classrooms. By conducting a meta-analysis on the past and current research on single-sex classrooms and its effects on boys’ achievement, I found the research to be inconclusive. Within this meta-analysis, the numerous factors that play a role in the effectiveness of single-sex classrooms are discussed. Some of these factors include; methodological weakness, teacher pedagogy and perceptions, student perceptions and culture.