Students in all-girls schools perform slightly better in their exams than girls in co-educational schools, according to new research from Victoria, United Kingdom.
This is in contrast to previous studies which suggest that it does not matter whether a student attends single-sex or co-educational schools.
What is study?
This research was conducted by the FFT Education Datalab. It is an independent research team specializing in education policy and statistics.
Using the United Kingdom's National Pupil Database, the study looked at more than 580,000 students attending more than 3,200 schools.All schools were government funded ("public schools" in Australian terminology) and were either single-sex or co-educational.
Students' exam results at the end of Year 11 were examined and the study controlled for differences in the characteristics of schools and students, such as socioeconomic disadvantage or higher levels of students learning English as a second language.
What was found in the research?
The research found that girls who attended all-girls schools recorded slightly improved test results compared to their peers in co-educational schools.
This is after adjusting their results to take into account such loss factors.
The difference is small – about one month of progress for each student.But I deserve attention.
Yet for boys' schools, there was no difference in results between single-education and co-educational schools.
why is it important?
While the UK study was not peer-reviewed, this finding is important because I contradict other recent large-scale research, which has found no statistically significant educational benefits for single-sex schooling.
For example, a 2022 analysis of Irish students found no significant performance gap between co-educational and single-sex schools.
A 2014 meta-analysis (overviewing multiple studies) in 21 countries found no high-quality evidence of the benefits of single-sex schooling.What about Australia?
This new research adds to the renewed debate over single-sex schooling in Australia in recent months. This followed some prestigious boys' schools announcing moves towards co-education (and some alumni are clamoring for change). It also follows several examples of sexism and misogyny by male students in both all-boys and co-ed schools.
A large body of Australian research is also examining boys' toxic behavior towards their female teachers and peers.
The UK research may therefore further strengthen the notion that girls perform better in single-sex schools.This notion has a long history. Many girls' schools were founded in the 1800s by pioneering headmistresses such as the English teacher Frances Buss, who believed in girls' equal right to education and that girls' schools were the best places to provide it. Girls' schools today maintain an image of feminist progressivism, promoting the idea that "girls can achieve anything".
This notion is supported by some research evidence that girls in single-school schools are more likely to feel confident in traditionally male-dominated subjects such as STEM.
What needs to be done?
This study from Britain raises many questions. Are girls really better off on their own? Are there aspects of single-sex education that can be implemented in a co-ed environment? How do we ensure that all schools, including co-educational schools, are schools of choice for girls?
We can further investigate these questions by conducting research with families to better understand their perceptions and experiences of single-sex schools today. We could also do more research on the impact of programs like RespectFu Relationships, which have been launched to build positive gender cultures.School. (talk) PY
PY
This is in contrast to previous studies which suggest that it does not matter whether a student attends single-sex or co-educational schools.
What is study?
This research was conducted by the FFT Education Datalab. It is an independent research team specializing in education policy and statistics.
Using the United Kingdom's National Pupil Database, the study looked at more than 580,000 students attending more than 3,200 schools.All schools were government funded ("public schools" in Australian terminology) and were either single-sex or co-educational.
Students' exam results at the end of Year 11 were examined and the study controlled for differences in the characteristics of schools and students, such as socioeconomic disadvantage or higher levels of students learning English as a second language.
What was found in the research?
The research found that girls who attended all-girls schools recorded slightly improved test results compared to their peers in co-educational schools.
This is after adjusting their results to take into account such loss factors.
The difference is small – about one month of progress for each student.But I deserve attention.
Yet for boys' schools, there was no difference in results between single-education and co-educational schools.
why is it important?
While the UK study was not peer-reviewed, this finding is important because I contradict other recent large-scale research, which has found no statistically significant educational benefits for single-sex schooling.
For example, a 2022 analysis of Irish students found no significant performance gap between co-educational and single-sex schools.
A 2014 meta-analysis (overviewing multiple studies) in 21 countries found no high-quality evidence of the benefits of single-sex schooling.What about Australia?
This new research adds to the renewed debate over single-sex schooling in Australia in recent months. This followed some prestigious boys' schools announcing moves towards co-education (and some alumni are clamoring for change). It also follows several examples of sexism and misogyny by male students in both all-boys and co-ed schools.
A large body of Australian research is also examining boys' toxic behavior towards their female teachers and peers.
The UK research may therefore further strengthen the notion that girls perform better in single-sex schools.This notion has a long history. Many girls' schools were founded in the 1800s by pioneering headmistresses such as the English teacher Frances Buss, who believed in girls' equal right to education and that girls' schools were the best places to provide it. Girls' schools today maintain an image of feminist progressivism, promoting the idea that "girls can achieve anything".
This notion is supported by some research evidence that girls in single-school schools are more likely to feel confident in traditionally male-dominated subjects such as STEM.
What needs to be done?
This study from Britain raises many questions. Are girls really better off on their own? Are there aspects of single-sex education that can be implemented in a co-ed environment? How do we ensure that all schools, including co-educational schools, are schools of choice for girls?
We can further investigate these questions by conducting research with families to better understand their perceptions and experiences of single-sex schools today. We could also do more research on the impact of programs like RespectFu Relationships, which have been launched to build positive gender cultures.School. (talk) PY
PY
