Term of Award
Spring 2011
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development
Committee Chair
Linda M. Arthur
Committee Member 1
Samuel Jackson
Committee Member 2
Denise Weems-White
Abstract
Since amendments to NCLB in 2004, public schools have not only established single-sex schools, but have also established single-sex classrooms within coeducational schools. Most of these modifications were adopted as a means to provide support to lowachieving students, many of who reside in urban settings. Proponents of single-sex instruction state that mostly African Americans, Hispanics, and females benefit most from this type of instructional setting because single-sex environments help to reduce gender stereotypes students encounter in coeducational settings. Opponents of single-sex instruction believe that accomplishments achieved in single-sex environments can be achieved in coeducational environments if the proper teaching strategies were in place. Opponents also feel that not enough studies have been conducted to make a strong claim that single-sex environments are better than coeducational environments. This study compared GCRCT middle grades mathematics scores for three years at four middle schools within an urban school district in Georgia to determine if the instructional setting is a factor in student performance. Two single-sex schools were selected (one male and one female), and two coeducational schools (one traditional and one that incorporated homogeneous class groupings). In addition to the instructional setting, student gender and grade level were examined to identify possible relationships with students' GCRCT mathematics achievement. The results of this study indicated that sixth grade male coed single-sex students, and seventh grade female coed students in the sample group were more likely to pass the GCRCT in mathematics than their peers in the other instructional settings. A cohort group, which is a subset of the sample group, identified students who remained in one school for grades sixth through eight. The results indicated that sixth and eighth grade cohort female coed students were more likely to pass the GCRCT in mathematics than their peers in the other instructional settings. Results also indicated, over a three-year period female students of the sample group enrolled in coed classes, and female students of the cohort group enrolled in a single-sex school had the largest gains on the GCRCT in mathematics.
Recommended Citation
Ogden, Craig Erico, "A Comparison of Student Performance in Single-Sex Education and Coeducational Settings in Urban Middle Schools" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 361.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/361
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
