Elementary Student Perspectives on Single-Gender Classes

Abstract

Interest in single-gender education has grown significantly since the U.S. Department of Education published regulations for the practice in 2006. Although research provides mixed results on the academic effectiveness of single-gender programs, many districts around the country are providing single-gender classes as a parent choice option under the NCLB Act. The option for single-gender classes in public education highlights the importance of examining student perspectives toward this configuration. This study examines the views of 131 elementary school students regarding single-gender education in an elementary school that has offered single-gender classes for 10 years. Overall, the results suggest that students have positive attitudes toward their single-gender classrooms. Most students believe that the single-gender classroom format positively impacted them in many important school dimensions such as self-confidence, motivation, self-esteem, independence, self-efficacy, attitude, and grades.