I. Introductory Paragraph
Thesis statement: This paper attempts to discuss the differences of whether single-sex schooling is beneficial with regards to the students’ academic achievement, personal development and social interaction. In doing so, it will provide a critical and evaluative viewpoint on some of the important concerns relevant to the two scholastic settings.
II. Body paragraphs
1) Academic performance/achievement
a) Single-sex schools
i) Teaching/learning perspective ii) Exam and test results
b) Coeducational schools
i) Teaching/learning perspective ii) Exam and test results
2) Personal Development
a) Single-sex schools
i) Self growth/self concept ii) Gender stereotype
b) Coeducational schools
i) Self growth/self concept ii) Gender stereotype
3) Social Interaction
a) Single-sex schools
i) Relationship with other people ii) Environment
b) Coeducational schools
i) Relationship with other people ii) Environment
III. Concluding Paragraph
1. Restatement of thesis/Final Arguments
2. Discussion of wider implications
Kim Cabanban
Professor Guy Wilkinson
English 1127-020
October 27, 2014
Word count: 1651
Which Academic Institution is Better: Single-Sex Schools or Coeducational Schools? Over several decades, researchers, academic authorities and parents have expressed their thoughts regarding whether single-sex schooling is more beneficial in terms of academic and social advantages for girls and/or boys compared to coeducational schooling. The purpose of this article is to provide information based on the findings from numerous studies gathered from the students of various countries and to examine the advantages and disadvantages between the two opposing school ideologies. This paper attempts to discuss the differences of whether single-sex schooling is beneficial with regards to the students’ academic achievement, personal development and social interaction. In doing so, it will provide a critical and evaluative viewpoint on some of the important concerns relevant to the two scholastic settings.
When comparing coeducation with single-sex education, one of the main factors that tend to be a focus of discussion is the overall academic performance of the students. Proponents of single-sex classrooms claim that single-sex classrooms can help teachers to more easily pair their teaching style to the developmental characteristics of the students. Boys tend to prefer a setting that is more competitive, physically active, and noisier. Girls seem to favor learning in a quieter setting in which they work together and come to a consensus. In math and physical science, boys tend to rule the conversation in the coed classrooms and cause the girls to feel inadequate and out of place. However, when girls are allowed to study math and science without boys dominating, the girls can be more free to discuss ideas and feel more comfortable without having to conform to gender stereotypes. Boys can also benefit from single-sex classrooms when teachers encourage more direct and confrontational discussions with higher energy levels and excitement (Sullivan 2009). Advocates of coeducation claim, however, that including both sexes in the classroom increases diversity in learning and opens up possibilities of discussion and perspective that otherwise could be missed. They insist that opposite sexes can learn from each other and depriving students from the opposite sex could be detrimental to their overall development. However, when the actual statistics are considered, single-sex classrooms do have some supporting figures. In 2006, the Punjab Examination Commission conducted a study and test comparing single-sex versus coed academic achievement in Pakistan. In terms of the academic achievement scores out of the 4448 students, the students who belonged to the single-sex education system seemed to fair higher than that of the coed students. The mean score of the single-sex students was 156.3 as