Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Debate on single-sex vs. coeducational schooling has increased over the last years. The purpose of the following study is to produce empirical evidence on this debate by comparing the frequency of disruptive behaviors in students thatattend single-sex and coeducational schools, in order to find statistical correlation.The frequency of disruptive behaviors in students coming from 5 single-sex schools was compared to that coming from 5 coeducational ones. Data came from 844 students aged 14, attending public schools in Callao, Peru. Students from single-sex schools showed less frequent disruptive behavior in each of the three measured categories—disruptive behaviors, behaviors that show lack of responsibility and anti-social behavior. A weak correlation was found between each of the three categories and the main variable. The study controlled for extraneous variables. / El debate sobre el mejor modo de agrupar a los estudiantes (coeducación o educación diferenciada) ha cobrado vigencia en el panorama educativo mundial. El presente estudio procuró aportar evidencia empírica al debate mediante la comparación de la frecuencia de conductas disruptivas de estudiantes de ambos modos de agrupamiento para encontrar una eventual correlación. Se compararon las frecuencias de conductas disruptivas de ochocientos cuarenta y cuatro estudiantes de segundo de secundaria de escuelas públicas del Callao (cinco mixtas; cinco diferenciadas). Los estudiantes de escuelas diferenciadas presentaron una frecuencia menor en las tres categorías analizadas (conductas que interrumpen el estudio, de falta de responsabilidad y perturbadoras de las relaciones sociales en clase). Asimismo, se encontró una correlación débil entre cada una de las categorías y la variable «agrupamiento escolar por sexo». Se controlaron variables intervinientes.

The purpose of this study was to research student perspectives about, and participation in, leadership and service at Catholic female single-sex high schools. This study draws data from a Catholic female single-sex high school in a metropolitan area of the United States. Data collection included school document review, site observation, and interviews of current students (n=10), young alumnae (n=5), mature alumnae (n=5), and current faculty and staff (n=6). The data was analyzed using an adapted theoretical framework of Wenger's (1998) social theory of learning, informed by Lave and Wenger's (1991) concept of communities of practice. This study addresses how the situated experience of the Catholic female single-sex high school affects students' expectations, values, and behaviors regarding leadership and service. The data show that the situated experience of a Catholic female single-sex high school encouraged engagement and interest in leadership and service. Students were empowered to believe that gender should not be an obstacle in seeking positions of leadership or service. However, although the environment was successful in advocating for participation in leadership and service, the social structure, social practices, identity formation, and situated environment tended to reinforce traditional gender-based notions of leadership and service. The culture of the school did not encourage the use of a critical lens to view the inequity that women experience, resulting in student expectations, behaviors, and values that were reproduced from the dominant culture in society. Student relationship to community and Catholicity is also discussed. In order to achieve the benefits of female empowerment advocated by the school, greater emphasis should be placed on identifying and addressing the obstacles to female leadership and service in society at large. There should be continued research to identify effective strategies for empowering female students to participate in leadership and service opportunities in high school, while providing them with a clearer sense of the challenges they will face in leadership and service positions later in life. In this way, the mission of Catholic female single-sex high schools can be more fully realized, which will hasten the day when true gender equity is achieved in the broader social context.

The purpose of this dissertation is to find out whether some teachers at the vocational upper secondary schools where we have had our teaching practice are aware of the gender perspective and if/how they implement it in their teaching. The focus of the investigation is to find out to what extent the teachers in question take gender into account when they select texts for their single-sex classes. The aim was to learn about the teachers’ thoughts and views on gender issues as well as learning more about how to work gender consciously in the classroom. Qualitative interviews with seven upper secondary teachers were carried out. The semi-structured interviews we conducted contained guiding questions concerning gender, single-sex classes, material used for teaching. All the interviewed teachers think that gender is a very important question both in school and in society. The majority of the participating teachers do adjust their material with gender as a factor according to the sex of the majority of the class. The teachers emphasized that they also take other factors into account when selecting texts; an important one is the pupils’ course of study and interests.

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Students in a large mid-Atlantic city graduate from the public district high schools at an average annual rate of fifty-six percent. This low rate of high school completion predicts future financial and social instability for not only those individuals who drop out of school, but also for their surrounding community. The research on dropouts highlights the significance that students' low levels of academic and social engagement in school have on their decisions to leave school. Advocates for single-sex education argue that students engage and achieve at high levels when learning in this educational model. According to the current literature, students' success in single-sex schools is primarily a result of the proacademic choice that they and their guardians make when electing to attend a single-sex school. Through focus groups, interviews, and observations, this study explores what student engagement looks like at an all-girls urban neighborhood public high school that is non-selective and where the proacademic choice of students is not a factor. With new federal policy measures advocating innovation in public education, single-sex schools - historically inaccessible to minority students from low-income communities - are finding a foothold in urban public school systems across the country. This study aims to illuminate the extent to which a single-sex school serves as a "site of transformation" for young women of color from a low-income neighborhood. The realization of the school's mission, to interrupt the social reproduction of the neighborhood through the education of its young women, depends on its students' graduation from high school and their access to and success through college. Data related to various features of the school are analyzed to highlight how student engagement is promoted and inhibited at the school and ultimately results in transformative and/or reproductive educational experiences for students. / Urban Education

School violence is a problem and particularly in Jamaica where it seems to be more pronounced in coeducational schools. Keen qualitative data garnering driven by the theory of symbolic interaction provides insight. Recently, Northern Caribbean University Radio announced that, in Jamaica, there is a high rate of violence in schools, and that there have been more reports of violence in coeducational schools than in single-sex schools (NCU Radio FM 91). We need to know is why this is the case? This qualitative research investigates the relationship between school structure and the incidences of violence. For a considerable period of time, the arm of the government, namely, the Ministry of Education, has been trying to stem the continuous wave of violence in schools, apparently with very little success. To date, coeducational schools have recorded more student violent activities than single-sex schools. This study will seek to ascertain why there is more violence in coeducational schools. The primary source of data for this study will be interviews with principals and vice principals, deans of discipline, guidance counselors and classroom teachers in both single-sex and coeducational schools. Another data source will be documents relating to violence in coeducational schools. / Educational Leadership

This qualitative study examined the experiences of Saint Mary’s High School alumnae from the freshman class of 1949 through the graduating class of 2010 in order to identify what has sustained the school over the decades. Years after graduation, alumnae held memories of their school experiences that resulted in personal and long-lasting qualities that continue to have significant impacts on individuals and the institution. Data was gathered through written journals and interviews. The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) model was used to analyze the context of alumnae experiences. Using the AI model, multiple categories arose as positive notables mentioned by the participants. The prominent themes contributing to school sustainability were pastoral care, mission, tradition, and community. These sustaining characteristics, which are still exhibited in the lives of current laity and students, were linked to the original charism brought to the school through the Sisters’ order. Student success and satisfaction are critical to sustaining Catholic schools as tuition continues to rise and enrollment in Catholic schools’ decline. Saint Mary’s High School, and other similar Catholic schools, should consider strengthening their identity through mission-related activities and values. The findings of this study suggested that sustaining Catholic school environments may be as simple as becoming reacquainted with their original missions. Results of this study showed that Catholic school leaders and faculty are successfully transmitting the same values and mission-driven messages as their predecessors. Emphasizing a holistic and compassionate school setting is vital to the overall success of each student and the longevity of schools.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the educational aspirations and future expectations of working class youth in an all-female Catholic high school. The ethnographic methods of primarily interviews and participant observation were used to discover the plans and the decision processes of approximately 21% of the senior class. Sixty girls were interviewed four weeks before graduation, as well as 20 teachers and administrators. Almost 100% of the sample (59) planned to attend college the following fall. While most institutions were competitive, only one planned to attend a most competitive, most selective institution, although several met the admissions requirements to do so. One-fourth of the sample planned to attend community colleges. The institution helped to facilitate the process of college entrance. However, many of the girls' decisions were determined before high school, and most were influenced by family members, most of whom had never attended a finished college. It was observed and reported by the girls that the all-female environment enhanced their educational experiences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact teachers’ preparedness for and implementation of single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy with African-American girls in single-gender classrooms. Three Single-Gender Academies were included in the study. Twenty participants responded to a teacher survey, nine teachers and two administrators were interviewed, and lesson plans from six of the teachers interviewed were also collected. Descriptive statistics, regression tests and Pearson’s Correlations were used to analyze quantitative data and displayed a significant relationship between professional development and teacher preparedness for and implementation of single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy. A significant relationship also existed between teacher preparation program and teacher preparedness for implementing single-gender instructional strategies. No significant relationship was found between teacher demographics and teacher preparedness for and implementation of single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that certain teacher demographics did impact teacher preparedness for and implementation of single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy for the teachers in this research investigation. Qualitative analysis of data provided evidence to support the quantitative findings about professional development and single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy with African-American girls in single-gender classrooms. Moreover, analysis of qualitative data revealed that specific behaviors of administrators influenced teacher preparedness for and implementation of single-gender instructional strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy. Results of this research investigation provide implications and recommendations for school districts that incorporate single-gender classroom environments, faculty at Educational Departments at local universities and alternative teacher preparation programs and administrators that lead these schools.