Singles-sex schooling or mixed schooling
There have been many discrepancies in whether single-sex schools are better than the co-education system. Whichever side one stands, there are reasons that one cannot discredit. For instance, one may argue that, single-sex schools enhance more exceptional performance, which raises a question, why such sentiments? On the other hand, another person may argue that co-education system exposes children to different occurrences that he or she may not witness in a single-sex school. In this instance, I shall be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both systems.
Single-sex education can be termed as a historical phenomenon. This is because, in previous years, single-sex education was considered for the male gender. This drew criticism from feminists in the modern era in regard to equal opportunities and justice, (2015). The growth of mixed education schools, therefore, advanced. There have been discussions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of single-sex schools compared to mixed schools, and a variety of interpretations were provided by researchers supporting different opinions.
Most children enroll in schools at the age of six. Research has shown that a higher number of parents would prefer to enroll their children in mixed-gender schools, however, a few believe otherwise. There is, however, a lot of difference between the co-education schools and single-sex schools. Mix gender schools are noisy and with so much movement, while the girl schools are calm. On the contrary, boy schools are full of vitality because boys are characterized by their higher energy levels thus, they move a lot (2015). These different features may make parents prefer mixed schools as it promotes social interaction.
Studies have shown that co-education schools have their advantages and disadvantages. A higher percentage shows that students perform better if they are in single-sex schools because of the different modes of understanding between boys and girls, (2016). If a teacher is teaching a mixed-gender class, he or she will have a difficult time considering a teaching method that suits both genders equally (2015).
Furthermore, studies have shown that single-sex schools are more successful. A study done in South Korea revealed that teenage boys are more likely to suffer from distraction when in a co-education school. This matter dramatically contributes to their performance. It is important to note that many schools converted to co-education systems because of financial purposes. Thus, one can say that this was only a measure taken to adhere to laws but not its effect on students, (2017).
Moreover, there is a substantial difference in the academic achievement between both male and female gender. Research underlines that girls depend on different skills to learn, unlike boys. Therefore, it is a teacher’s duty to provide a method that suits all students, (2016). Separation of boys and girls allows teachers to work more on the achievement of students without favoring either gender, (2015). However, most girls do not feel comfortable in a mixed class, especially in their adolescence lifespan. These situations sometimes affect their confidence and performance. Therefore, females cope and focus better on their education when in a single-sex school, (2016).
However, single-sex schools have their disadvantages too. The separation can lead to a lack of interaction between both genders. This, therefore, leads to social problems, which can create false and distort reputations of either gender, (2017). According to (2015), co-education system makes both genders able to deal with each other while the separation may lead to many problems in the future. For instance, how will a man deal with his wife if he does not know what she loves and what she dislikes from her behavior?
In summary, there are both advantages and disadvantages to support either singles-sex schooling or mixed schooling. Being an equity advocated ambassador, I would give single-sex systems more weight. This is because enabling students of the same gender to interact in education is one way of emphasizing equity matters. This way, both boys and girls can learn to appreciate how different they are. An important thing to note is that everyone’s opinion matters as long as they support it with logical facts.
References
Cheung, S. K. (2015). Co-education and Single-Sex Schooling. In S. K. Cheung, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 3, pp. 926-931). Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.92139-1
Dustmann, C., Ku, H., & Kwak, D. W. (2017, September 28). Why single-sex schools are more successful. VOX, 1-5.
Pahlke, E., & Hyde, J. S. (2016). The Debate Over Single-Sex Schooling. Child Development Perspectives, 10(2), 81-86. doi:10.1111/cdep.12167