Single Gender Schools
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Admittedly, this is a convoluted question with many answer. Personally, I believe that it depends on the student. As we are all a mosaic of female and male characteristics, some may fit better in single gender schools than others. However, the pros and cons are the same for the average student. For one thing, students in single gender schools often have trouble dealing with the opposite gender after graduating. In addition, the absence of an entire gender can lead to a lack of perspective in the classroom. On the other hand, some studies show that because girls and boys can have different learning needs, they benefit from single gender schools, especially girls, who are often disadvantaged in coed schools. For example, 20% more girls in single gender schools chose STEM majors than those in coed. "20% more girls in single gender schools chose STEM majors than those in coed." Admittedly I don't know the study you are referring to, but you may be confusing causation with correlation here. It could just be that girls who like or are good at STEM subjects are more likely to be the type of girls that would chose to attend an all girls school in the first place. As a boy in his final year at an all boys school, I can say that I probably did better here than I would have done at a coed school. My grades have improved from when I used to go to coed schools, although that could be for a number of reasons. Firstly, boys seem to be (in my own experience) more competitive with each other than girls and boys are with each other (I don't know about girls competing with girls). I think, at least among my group of friends (the nerds), this leads to better academic grades than would have been scored at coed schools. Secondly, I think that girls would be a distraction to me if they were everywhere. I'd spend time thinking about them that I should be spending thinking about work. It is frustrating though, not having very much contact with girls, they seem like a distant fairy tale more than anything else. I don't know if I will be better or worse around them as a result of going to an all boys school when I go to university. You are right to say that the decision depends on the individual. Coming to the end of my last year I don't regret going to an all boys school. I think the sense of camaraderie among us is much stronger than it would have been at a coed school. That's very important to me. |
