A Phenomenological Study of Middle Grade Female and Male Students’ Single-Sex Mathematical Experiences

Abstract

Utilizing a descriptive phenomenological design, this study examines the lived experiences of seven middle grade students, four females and three males, enrolled in a single-sex mathematics classroom within a coeducational school setting. The intent of the study is to understand, from students themselves, about the experience of single-sex mathematics classrooms in public schools. The findings reveal that, as a whole, participants do not foreground their experience within the academic discipline under study (mathematics), but rather almost exclusively discuss social aspects of their classroom experience. One contrast between the girls and boys in this study is that girls spoke more positively about their experience in a single-sex mathematics class than boys.