Co-educational Settings Research Articles

The Relationship of Creativity and Motor Creativity with Physical Activity and Motor Fitness in a Gender Perspective Among 8-9-Year-Old Children.

In this study, we aimed to determine the presence of any potential gender differences and relationships in terms of creativity, physical activity (PA), motor fitness, and motor creativity in children aged 8-9 years. The study included 195 primary school children (92 girls and 103 boys) aged 8-9 years old from grade 2. To determine creativity, the Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production was used, while motor creativity was assessed using Torrance's 'Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement' test. Motor fitness was assessed with the selected items from the Eurofit battery and Piórkowski tests. The level of moderate-to-vigorous PA was determined with the Physical Activity Screening Measure. The Mann-Whitney U test was employed for in-between group comparison and Spearman's correlation to determine relationships between the variables. The results of the research showed the presence of differences in motor fitness between boys and girls, but no differences in PA, creativity, as well as motor creativity between genders. Moreover, it was found there was no association between PA and motor fitness and creativity or motor creativity in either boys or girls at this age. Thus, it can be assumed that to develop creativity through PA in children aged 8-9 years, it might be necessary to create an appropriate environment and strategy that will strengthen, inspire, and promote children's creativity through movement. Having established that there is no difference in creativity between genders at this age, it was pointed out that it is necessary to look for teaching methods that would effectively awaken this ability in a co-educational setting.

Between gendered walls: Assessing the impact of single-sex and co-education on student achievement, self-confidence, and communication skills

Between gendered walls: Assessing the impact of single-sex and co-education on student achievement, self-confidence, and communication skills

Gender Gap in STEM Pathways: The Role of Gender-Segregated Schooling in Mathematics and Science Performance

According to the World Economic Forum, the occupational gender gap with men dominating well-remunerated STEM careers is a key factor in the gender pay gap. However, the problem of underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is mitigated or reversed in some Eastern European and Islamic countries. This disparity suggests that cultural factors are at play. Gender-segregated schooling, which is commonly practiced in Islamic countries, is often seen as a contributing factor. However, the issue of gender-segregated education sparks much controversy. Critics argue evidence is lacking, and segregation may foster sexism and hinder social skills.In New Zealand, there is a significant opportunity to conduct research on gender segregation, as approximately 14.43% of girls and 14.35% of boys attend single-gender schools for their secondary (high school) education. In contrast to the USA and Australia, where single-gender schooling is predominantly offered by private and/or Catholic schools, the majority of New Zealand gender-segregated schools are state schools.Utilising the TIMSS 2019 dataset, our analysis revealed that girls from low socio-economic backgrounds and boys from higher socio-economic backgrounds who attend single-gender schools exhibit significantly higher mathematics and science achievement scores compared to their counterparts in co-educational settings. This success is particularly striking for girls in low socio-economic settings. Given mixed international evidence, this suggests that there must be protective factors at single-gender New Zealand schools, positively influencing these students. We examine potential factors setting apart girls-only schools to provide an explanation of our results: (1) a mitigated influence of gender socialisation practices and stereotype threat and (2) explicit messaging aimed at challenging stereotypes and empowering girls to actively engage in STEM fields.

Gendered Communication in Higher Education: Analyzing Politeness Patterns in a Coeducational Setting

This paper presents a study conducted at the University of Wah, Pakistan, which investigates the use of politeness markers and strategies by male and female students within the coeducation system. Employing qualitative method, the research analyzes recorded discourses of undergraduate students to explore potential gender differences in linguistic politeness. The study's main focus is to determine whether the coeducation environment influences students' linguistic politeness. Utilizing the politeness theory proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987), the research involved 60 participants using a stratified sampling technique. The comparative analysis of three gender groups – males-only discourse, females-only discourse, and mixed gender group discourse - revealed that the mixed gender group demonstrated a higher usage of politeness markers and employed more strategies to save face for their interlocutors. Based on these findings, the study concludes that coeducation positively impacts linguistic politeness among university students

Mixed Method Evaluation of My Vital Cycles®: A Holistic School-Based Ovulatory Menstrual Health Literacy Program.

There is a high prevalence of ovulatory menstrual (OM) dysfunctions among adolescents, and their menstrual health literacy is poor. The OM cycle can be used as a personal health monitor provided that the skills to understand it are correctly taught. My Vital Cycles®, a holistic school-based OM health literacy program, was trialed with a Grade 9 cohort in one single-sex school in Western Australia using the Health Promoting School framework. A validated OM health literacy questionnaire was administered pre- and post-program with 94 participants. Functional OM health literacy improved overall, with 15 out of 20 items showing improvement post-program (p < 0.05). In addition, 19 out of 53 items for interactive OM health literacy, and 18 out of 25 items for critical OM health literacy improved (p < 0.05). The improvement in mood concerns (p = 0.002) was unexpected. Thematic analysis of three focus groups of 18 girls revealed four themes of increasing comfort levels; finding the program informative; inclusion of non-teaching support such as healthcare professionals; and suggestions for future refinements. Overall, this Western Australian PhD project which developed and trialed My Vital Cycles® improved OM health literacy and was positively received. Future research possibilities include understanding the program's impact on mental health and further trials in co-educational settings; amongst different populations; and with extended post-program testing.

Infographic applications in cooperative groups in physics teaching

Contrary to the results of some studies, is online education expected to be as effective as face-to-face education? If this question is answered in the affirmative, how can a design be made for Physics education? This research aims to determine the effectiveness of infographic-assisted physics teaching with collaborative groups in teaching physics subjects online, face-to-face, and coeducational settings. In this research, action research method was used and both qualitative and quantitative findings were analyzed. The sample of the study consists of 168 students studying in one of the high schools in Turkey, where one of the researchers teaches physics. Four different data collection tools were used in the study. These tools are: a five-point Likert-type questionnaire, one consisting of 17 questions and the other 20 questions, an interview form consisting of 4 questions, and rubrics consisting of 6 items. Quantitative findings were evaluated with SPSS and qualitative findings were evaluated with the help of content analysis. According to the results obtained from the research findings, infographic applications in collaborative groups offered in different learning environments such as online, face-to-face, and hybrid learning contribute positively to the development of students’ self-efficacy and social skills for learning physics lessons. Applications carried out with infographic-supported collaborative groups (ISCGs); these applications contributed to the development of physics learning, attitude toward physics lessons, and social skills of students studying in online, face-to-face, and hybrid learning environments. It has been determined that these practices contribute positively to the elimination of academic and social differences among students. On the other hand, when ISCG applications in Physics education are carried out together with online education, which is perceived as disadvantageous, it increases the group responsibilities of the students and enables them to have equal opportunities with the environments where face-to-face education is provided. The technological content of ISCG applications affects the attitudes of high school students positively and ensures their active participation in the activities throughout the process.

Moving from a segregated to a coeducational context: Exploring Iranian female medical students' ownership and investment in language learning

The present study examined Iranian female medical students' transition from a segregated school system to a coeducational university context to uncover how they invested in their learning in the new context. The participants of this qualitative study were 23 female medical students, taking a general English language course in a mixed class of 54 students. This was their first experience of being in a coeducational environment. During the term the researchers/instructors observed the class, and also the students were interviewed to examine their understanding and feelings about this experience and its influence on their learning. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Taking Norton's (2015) investment model as a point of departure, the findings showed that female students invested in language learning by focusing on the capital, identity, and ideology that they were dealing with in the coeducational class. The findings showed that despite the common belief in the Iranian society that female learners are shy in coeducational settings, the participants invested in learning and owned their identity as medical students. They considered the class as a miniature setting to learn how to cooperate effectively with the male students to be ready for the mixed environment of their future profession.

Better Together? Analyzing Experiences from Male and Female Students and Teachers from Single-Sex and Coeducational Physical Education Classes.

Purpose: Since personal, environmental and behavioral factors influence students’ and teachers’ actions and experiences, the present study aimed to assess gender-related experiences of students and teachers from single-sex and coeducational physical education (PE) settings. Method: In total, 64 students (mean age: 13.8 ± 0.5 years) and 12 PE teachers from single-sex and coeducational PE settings from higher education schools (6th to 13th grade) in Germany and Austria were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic content approach. Results: Students from coeducational PE settings described more gender-unrelated behavior and a higher variety of activities including various non-gender conforming activities. Male students from single-sex PE settings reported performing only gender conform and some gender-neutral activities. Teachers from coeducational settings stated that they purposefully formed mixed-gender groups to foster social processes. A lack of time and lack of knowledge were named by PE teachers as reasons for not addressing gender issues in PE by teachers. Conclusion: Performed activities and teachers’ behavior differed between PE settings, eventually influencing reported differences in terms of behavior and gender perception by students. Further studies should evaluate the influence of specific physical activity interventions on gender perceptions and students’ behavior in order to give practical recommendations for PE classes.

Social media, body satisfaction and well-being among adolescents: A mediation model of appearance-ideal internalization and comparison

Despite adolescents' prolific use of social media, relationships between social media and body satisfaction and well-being are not yet well understood, especially among boys. This study tested a sociocultural model of body image within the context of social media among adolescent boys and girls. Specifically, this study examined whether appearance-ideal internalization and social appearance comparisons mediated relationships between social media engagement (intensity and appearance-focused use) and body satisfaction and subjective well-being. Australian adolescents between 11 and 17 years (N = 1,579, Mage = 13.45 years, SD = 1.15; 55.4 % boys) completed an online survey. Structural equational modelling indicated that only higher appearance-focused social media use was directly associated with lower body satisfaction and well-being. Generally, higher appearance-ideal internalization and comparisons mediated the relationships between higher social media engagement and lower body satisfaction and well-being. Multi-group analyses indicated these relationships were equivalent across gender. Findings supported the proposed model among boys and girls and extend existing theoretical knowledge to encompass male body image and well-being. Interventions which target internalization and comparisons in the context of social media are likely to be valuable in improving body satisfaction and subjective well-being in co-educational settings.

REFLECT – A Teacher Training Program to Promote Gender Equality in Schools

Despite formally equal educational opportunities for women and men, educational and occupational careers are still characterized by gender disparities rather than gender equality. Men are overrepresented in STEM fields and higher positions, while women are frequently working in low-status jobs in the health and social sector. These differences already emerge during school time, when girls report lower academic self-concepts in STEM subjects than boys even after achievement is controlled for while the same ist true for boys’ self-concepts in reading and languages. Gender stereotypes that are conveyed by socializing agents are assumed to play an important role in maintaining gender differences in education. Teachers are important starting points for promoting gender equality in education as their attitudes and instructional practices are known to influence students’ motivation and performance substantially. To promote girls and boys equally in coeducational settings, teachers have to reflect on their own gender stereotypes. Moreover, they require knowledge about gender differences in education and about teaching methods to foster the motivation of all students regardless of their gender. However, gender stereotypes are rarely dealt with in general teacher education and training programs that build teachers’ competences for reflective coeducation are sparse. Against this backdrop, we present the teacher training program REFLECT that was developed to foster secondary school teachers’ competences for supporting students in developing their individual potentials without being restricted by gender stereotypes. REFLECT is theoretically based on the systemic actiotope model and aims to expand teachers’ objective action repertoire (knowledge, teaching methods) as well as their subjective action space (self-efficacy beliefs, implicit theories). The results of a pilot study show the effectiveness of REFLECT. Teachers’ objective action repertoire and subjective action space for promoting boys and girls equally increased, as did students’ knowledge of gender differences and perception of diversity fairness in the classroom. Implementing the contents of REFLECT in general teacher education could contribute to sustainably achieving gender equality in education.

VCE STEM subject enrolments in co-educational and single-sex schools

The debate on the relative merits of single-sex and co-educational schooling for girls and boys persists. There are also on-going concerns in Australia about declining enrolments in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines at both the tertiary and school levels. In this article, we summarise some core findings from the scholarly literature on single-sex and co-educational learning settings and then present official enrolment data from the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) for the period 2001–2017 on mathematics and other STEM subjects to determine whether or not attendance at a single-sex school appears to affect participation in these subjects. No consistent pattern was found for boys’ and girls’ enrolments across VCE STEM subjects by school type (single-sex or co-educational).

Motivation and Engagement with Physics: a Comparative Study of Females in Single-Sex and Co-educational Classrooms

It has been argued that the establishment of single-sex classes for females can increase their motivation and participation in physics. This paper reports on findings from a multi-occasional study among 90 female year 11 physics students across single-sex and co-educational high schools in Australia. The aim of this study was to identify the differences in motivation, engagement and sustained enrolment plans in relation to physics between female students in single-sex from those in co-educational settings. Fine-grained analyses at a physics topic-specific level indicated differences between these cohorts in their interest value, career value, gender-stereotyped attitudes, performance perceptions, sustained engagement and sustained enrolment intentions in relation with physics. Results revealed that both cohorts have high levels of achievement motivation in relation to physics irrespective of their classroom composition; however, females from single-sex schools showed higher values for some constructs across various physics topics. This paper highlights the scarcity of research into females’ sustained participation in physics, once they commence studying physics, and the difference class composition makes to females’ achievement motivation and future enrolment intentions.

Physical Activity Levels in Coed and Same-Sex Physical Education Using the Tactical Games Model

This study compared physical activity levels of junior high school physical education students participating in coeducational and same-sex PE classes that followed the Tactical Games Model. A total of 446 students, aged 11 to 16 years old, enrolled in the seventh to ninth grades from one junior high school participated. Each student participated in four team sport units while wearing an accelerometer. All lessons followed the Tactical Games instructional model. Four three-way between-subjects analyses of variance were conducted as a method of evaluating the effect of gender, class setting, and grade on PE students’ PA levels for each sport unit. There was not a significant difference in PA for males by setting or sport unit. During the volleyball, flag football, and soccer unit, there was a nonsignificant difference between female students in the same-sex setting and between female and male students in the coeducational setting for percentage of time spent in MVPA. Results suggest setting does not affect MVPA time of males but does affect that of females depending on sport. Results also suggest that males spend more time in MVPA than females regardless of setting and sport unit. Subscribe to TPE

Roller Skating and Interdisciplinary Physical Education

Today, more than 23 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight in the United States. Physical educators strive to find appropriate, yet fun activities to encourage and increase physical activity. Introducing students to a variety of activities can promote family involvement in physical activity and create lifelong physical activity habits in children outside of school. Activities of mutual interest (such as roller skating) for girls and boys presented in a coeducational setting can accomplish these goals. Roller skating can be fun and can provide health-related fitness benefits. A roller skating curriculum may spark interest in lifelong physical activity and create an opportunity to incorporate various subject areas such as mathematics, science, health, etc. This article describes an interdisciplinary skating unit that was taught and implemented in a fourth-grade physical education class.

A school-based body image intervention for young girls: is co-educational or single-sex delivery more effective?

School-based body image interventions for girls have typically been evaluated in single-sex rather than coeducational settings. However, there may be advantages to including boys within classes and it might also be more practical to deliver interventions to co-educational classes. Hence, it is important to examine any difference in outcomes between these two delivery settings. This study evaluated a six-session, co-educational version of the body image intervention, Happy Being Me. Participants were Year 7 girls from 5 schools randomly allocated to receive either the intervention in a single-sex setting (n=74), co-educational setting (n=73) or no intervention control (n=53). Self-report questionnaires assessed body dissatisfaction, internalisation of media ideals, appearance comparisons, self-esteem, and depression at baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up. Improvements were found in body dissatisfaction, internalisation, appearance comparisons, and self-esteem, from baseline to postintervention in the intervention groups compared with the control group. Intervention effects were maintained for internalisation, appearance comparisons, and self-esteem at 6-month follow-up. Baseline appearance conversations moderated body dissatisfaction outcomes. There were no significant differences in body image outcomes between single-sex or co-educational delivery formats. These findings provide further evidence of the efficacy of Happy Being Me and suggest that this intervention is equally valuable in single-sex or co-educational settings. This abstract was presented in the Peter Beumont Young Investigator award finalist stream of the 2014 ANZAED Conference. Published: 24 November 2014

Impact of Changeover from Single Sex Education to Mixed Sex Settings on Psychological Functioning of College Going Girls

Adolescence can be called as the start of an emotionally charged period of transition and transformation. It is observed that when placed into a co-educational setting adolescent students rather than concentrating on the classroom activities are more concerned about their looks and behavior. Instead of focusing on achieving, students focus more on not failing in front of the opposite which distracts them from the learning process. Parents who believe in the ideology of following single education want to follow it for their adolescent children especially for girls. Where adolescent girls are concerned,it also depend upon their perspective of co-education and how it affects their confidence level.lt is mainly because of the strict roles framed by the society for both the sexes which block their vision for other opportunities considered fit for the other sex.Learning takes place in social contexts both inside and outside the classroom (Hoffman, Hoffman & Guldemond, 2001), with the climate of the school and classroom impacting significantly on student learning (Fraser, 1994). Comparisons of achievement levels in single and co-ed schools typically shows that the academic and personal achievement of females are substantially higher in single schools than in co-ed schools (Marsh, 1989).Three longitudinal studies of the changeover from single to coeducation have indicated no adverse effects on student academic achievement (Marsh, 1989; Marsh, Smith, Marsh & Owens, 1988), academic selfconcept (Marsh et al., 1988; Smith, 1996; Jackson & Smith, 2000) and explanatory style (Yates, 2000).Bandura's (1977) concept of self-efficacy as a plausible mechanism for the effectiveness of single colleges.Bandura suggested that self-efficacy involves knowing one's goals clearly, knowing the steps necessary to achieve each goal, and confidence in one's ability to meet each goal.Self-efficacy specifies a clear-cut relationship between institutional structure, self variables and the positive outcomes that are seen in single institutions. Gender role stereotypes affect how individuals see themselves, as well as how others see them (Hoffman, Powlishta & White, 2004).Gender roles may be defined as expectations about what is appropriate behavior for each sex (Weiten, 1997) It is the expectations held about appropriate personality characteristics for each sex. Gender role socialization is deeply ingrained in the fabric of our society, and yet much of the perceptions that fuel our practice are rooted in habitual and stereotypical thinking. If a woman displays a task-oriented style of leadership that violates the gender norm of modesty she will suffer isolation and incur low social attraction, although she may be viewed as competent. Men displaying the same characteristics, however, are given high leadership and likeabuity ratings (Sue & Sue, 2008).Traditionally, our society has defined femininity as the qualities of emotionality, sensitivity, and nurturance (Cook, 1990). Masculinity is defined as possessing a competitive orientation that views relationships from a functional and outcome-based perspective, is achievement and task driven,and is somewhat restrictive in its view of emotionality and personal attachment (Leaper & Van, 2008). One study examined college students gender role perceptions of the ideal man, ideal woman, most men, most women and themselves (Street & Meek, 1980). It was found that both the female and male students rated the ideal woman as androgynous, women preferred an androgynous ideal man, and men preferred a masculine ideal man. Both female and male students rated most women and men in terms of stereotypical gender roles. Lengua and Stormshak (2000) report that people who are the best adjusted in terms of mental health are those that have a balance of so-called masculine (i.e., competitive) and feminine (i.e., nurturing) traits working on their behalf. Problems with gender role identification appear to intensify most during adolescence, a time when social pressures for gender differentiation increases (Hill &Lynch, 1982). …

The digital divide and single-gender undergraduate education in the UAE

Research on gender differences in perceived ICT competency, frequency of its use and attitudes over its value in higher education, while not conclusive, has indicated that males and females differ in areas of competency and frequency of use, and that females tend to feel more insecure than males in their perceived competency. However, since most of these studies were conducted in co-educational settings, single-gender tertiary education settings need to be explored for evidence of this “gender digital divide”. Zayed University has campuses in both Abu Dhabi and the Dubai (United Arab Emirates), and is gender segregated for the undergraduate population. During the fall 2011 semester, a student ICT profile questionnaire was distributed to students in the ‘Colloquy on Integrated Learning’ program of the University College. Four hundred eighty (480) students, 404 female (84%) and 76 male (16%), completed the questionnaire, and non-parametric tests and discriminant function analysis showed statistically significant differences between the gender groups. This Paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of each gender group, and examines the implications of the findings in order to best select teaching and learning strategies that address competency and confidence in areas that have been identified as weak.

Girls, girls, girls: Gender composition and female school choice

Gender segregation in employment may be explained by women's reluctance to choose technical occupations. However, the foundations for career choices are laid much earlier. Educational experts claim that female students are doing better in math and science and are more likely to choose these subjects if they are in single-sex classes. One possible explanation is that coeducational settings reinforce gender stereotypes. In this paper, we identify the causal impact of the gender composition in coeducational classes on the choice of school type for female students. Using natural variation in the gender composition of adjacent cohorts within schools, we show that girls are less likely to choose a traditionally female dominated school type and more likely to choose a male dominated school type at the age of 14 if they were exposed to a higher share of girls in previous grades.

Team Building through Physical Challenges in Gender-Segregated Classes and Student Self-Conceptions

It was of interest to determine if earlier research findings, where female students were particularly advantaged by the Team Building Through Physical Challenges (TBPC; Glover &amp; Midura, 1992) program in a coeducational setting, would still be observed in gender-segregated physical education classes. A total of 260 female ( n = 127) and male ( n = 133) middle school students were assigned to either treatment (participate in one TBPC activity every second week) or control (no exposure to TBPC activities) conditions. Assessments of six self-conceptions were collected before and after a five-month intervention period. Data were analyzed using a 2 (control/treatment) × 2 (pre-intervention/post-intervention) × 2 (female/male) repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance. Examination of the results suggested that the TBPC program continues to somewhat advantage female students in gender-segregated classes, although the overriding finding was that the program is associated with beneficial outcomes for both female and male students.

Boys' Lack of Interest in Fine Arts in a Coeducational Setting: A Review of Sex‐Related Cognitive Traits Studies

AbstractFine arts teachers' concerns about male underachievement in a Quebec coeducational high school, and a related survey showing boys' negative perceptions of fine arts motivated this interdisciplinary literature review. Referring to biology and cognitive science, the article explores concepts of sex‐related cognitive traits to help in designing sex‐adapted approaches to individual learning in art education. The nature‐nurture controversy still surrounds sex‐based cognitive differences studies, though science agrees that natural and socio‐cultural factors are somehow closely interwoven in the complex gender identity construction process. Sex‐related biological predispositions influencing cognition are proposed notably in ‘instrumentality‐expressiveness' and ‘empathising‐systemising (E‐S)’ theories. The article suggests that in the context of art education, these sex‐related cognitive models deserve study, because they could initiate sex‐adapted teaching strategies with the necessary flexibility and wider scope to overcome gender‐stereotyped biases and stimulate boys' interest in the arts. This suggested approach should not be confused with stereotype‐based pedagogy, which merely strengthens learned gender characteristics, producing or maintaining academic underachievement.