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Single-sex classes in a Queensland primary school: An evaluation of outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Linda Gilmore ,
Wendy Patton ,
Andrea McCrindle  and
Lee Callum
Linda Gilmore*
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology
Wendy Patton
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology
Andrea McCrindle
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology
Lee Callum
Affiliation:
Education Queensland
*
School of Learning and Professional Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, KELVIN GROVE QLD 4059, Phone: 61 7 3864 9617, Fax: 61 7 3864 8265, E-mail: l.gilmore@qut.edu.au
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Abstract

Although numerous studies have considered the benefits of single-sex schooling for secondary students, the results have open been inconclusive or inconsistent. Very few studies have considered the effects of single-sex schooling at the primary level. This paper reports a trial of single-sex Year 7 classes at a Queensland primary school. Measures of academic achievement (number facts, spelling, reading, and mathematics) and teachers’ reports of children’s classroom involvement and motivation were obtained prior to the formation of classes and again at the end of the trial year. Results showed that boys in the single-sex class, who initially displayed lower academic results than all other groups, made significant gains in spelling, reading, and mathematics. There were significant differences in children’s emotional and behavioural engagement across the trial year, with girls in the mixed-sex class demonstrating reduced scores on these measures compared to children in the other classes.

Keywords

Single-Sex ClassesAcademic AchievementBehavioural and Emotional Engagement
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , 2002 , pp. 49 - 58
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2002

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