Traditional stereotypes result in the classification of academic subjects as gender inappropriate or male and female-dominated, and conversely less enjoyable or more complex, by gender groupings; where female-dominated subjects such as the arts, humanities and modern languages are considered “feminine” and less enjoyable and therefore less often selected or excelled at by males; and male-dominated subjects such as the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are less often selected and perceived as more complex by girls (Sullivan et al., 2012 AU38: The in-text citation "Sullivan et al., 2012" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ; Jackson & Smith, 2000 ).
Published in Chapter:
A Comparative Analysis of Single-Sex Education in the United Kingdom and Australia
Ramonia R. Rochester (Florida Atlantic University, USA)
Copyright: © 2014
|Pages: 11
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6046-5.ch088
Abstract
Single-gender education or Single-Sex Education (SSE) has reemerged in the educational reform discussion as experts seek to establish clearer pathways to literacy in the 21st century. SSE discusses how students learn best in a convergent global model of emergent literacy practices. Views of single-gender education in the UK and Australia differ with respect to motivational underpinnings and perceptions of the efficacy of SSE. Central to the SSE debate in both countries is the widening achievement gap between boys and girls, particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Both countries are moving toward a parallel model of SSE, offering gender-differentiated instruction in single-gender classrooms within co-educational schools. The chapter compares SSE in the two countries with respect to gender perspectives in curriculum and pedagogy; cultural, religious, and socio-economic motivations in school orientations; and the perceived returns on education for students schooled in a single-sex environment.