Having a background in software engineering, I have experienced the extreme ratio of men to women in engineering, firsthand. I have also heard the occasional news story addressing single-gender education and the benefits to girls in mathematics. So, when I came across an article titled Female Students' Experiences of Computer Technology in Single- versus Mixed-Gender School Settings, I knew I had to review it.
Burke and Murphy (2006) conducted a small study of female students who had experienced both mixed-gender and single-gender computer use in the classroom. The 12 students who volunteered for this study had all used computers in a mixed-gender setting in junior high and were currently in a grade 12 class on Communications' Technology in a single-gender school. The data collected was via a questionnaire, an interview, and a focus group.
The article cites several previous studies that led to this study. Among these are studies on gender inequality in math, science, and technology, studies on the growth of technology in the workplace, and information on the low percentage of women in computer science. This allows anyone, regardless of their personal experiences, to understand the need for research in this area.
The questions and responses fell into the three areas of attention, confidence, and learning. The researchers concluded the girls felt they received more attention, felt more confident, and indicated they felt they were given more complex tasks, which resulted in more learning. These findings were similar to previous studies involving single-gender education.
One criticism I have concerning this research is the small sample. With a study of only 12 students, and all in the same current single-gender class setting, many things could have led to the feelings expressed by the students. Perhaps the teacher they had currently was simply better at giving attention, building confidence, and teaching than the teachers they had previously. The ratio of students to teachers, computers to students, and available technology could have all been contributing factors to the feelings of the students. Additionally, the general feelings of students in junior high versus students in their senior year of high school are significantly different, in my experience.
The authors do acknowledge the feelings of the students toward their school in general and the size of the school (much smaller than their previous schools) could have changed the general feelings of the participants. They also feel it might be of value to conduct further research between two high schools (one of mixed-gender and one of single-gender) comparing the perceptions of the students toward technology and the actual learning of these students.
Overall, the article was worth reading, but led me to more questions than answers. I hope to find additional studies in this area, with larger study groups and less variables. In my area of interest, special education, I am not certain the discrepancy between the feelings of females toward technology in single-gender and mixed-gender classes would exist. I would love to see a study to confirm this, but in my experience of 50+ special education students, gender discrepancy of any kind has not been a concern. Perhaps the low developmental (and social) level of my students would explain this lack of discrepancy.
Reference:
Burke, L. & Murphy, E. (2006). Female students’ experiences of computer technology in single- versus mixed-gender school settings. E-Journal of Instructional Science and Technology, v9, n1.
I too thought the number that was surveyed was low, but one the other hand it shows that there are many different factors that should be considered when providing instruction. We don't all learn the same or achieve the same. Some thing for me to think about when creating groups. Bernette Ervin
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