Are Single Sex Schools Good For Education?

As the educational paradigm has been changed, there are many issues that arise. One of the issues of education nowadays is about single sex schools. Single sex schools are school admit only one specific gender. In many countries this school has mostly existed in many private schools. Some people assume that single sex schools are good for education,because these schools make students be more creative, relax and comfortable in process of teaching and learning. But I personally disagree with this idea, I believe single sex schools separate students from social context.

First, In real life students work together with opposite gender, educating them in single sex school will limit them to work cooperatively and succesfully with opposite gender. Besides, they will feel inconfident because they are not used to work with opposite sex. The next, single sex school can become an obstacle of gender equality. They will probably feel themselves are better than opposite sex or it is called as gender stereotype. Mostly, males will consider they are better than female. It becomes contrary to educational goals of gender equality. The fourth, single sex school are bad for the emotional healtt of males. This finding research from London University Institute of Education shows that boys are taught in single sex schools tend to be divorced and separated from their partner than students are taught in mixed schools. It accures because the boys have not enough ability to communicate and solve the problem to the girls. The last reason is single sex schools might increase a number of gays and lesbian, especially in boarding school. They have no oppurtunity to express their feeling and to interact to opposite gender. It tends to cause them be gays or lesbians. For example, there are some cases of gays and lesbian in boarding school. But, it does not mean people become homosexual when they are in single sex school, because the main factor of it homosexual biological genetic.

The plausible reason of this idea is students should not be separated from the social community since they are as the part of community where males and females mix and interact each others.The problem of this idea is mixed gender schools sometimes distract the class temperature. Girls and boys are easily distracted each others, especially in middle grade. So that, some students will feel uncomfortable in mixed gender schools. But this problem can be solved by teachers in the classrom. Teachers have to be able to manage their class by appropriate strategies. And one another point of this idea is a finding research from Dr. Alan Smithers, a respected British schools expert, stated that “distraction by boys was a myth”and that “half a century of research has not shown any dramatic or consistent advantages for single-sex education for boys or girls”.

Finally, the writer assumes that education must reflect the authentic or real situation of society. Mixed gender school is a good choice to teach students in defining and preparing their real life. Single sex school only can be

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Reference :
Asthana, A. ‘Single-sex schools ‘no benefit to girls’’. The Guardian, 25 June 2006.
Juliet A. Williams.Learning Differences: Sex-Role StereotypingIn Single-Sex Public Education.Harvard Journal of Law & Gender. Vol.332
Garner, R. ‘Why Single-Sex Schools Are Bad For Your Health. The Independent, 1 December 2009.
Single sex school: the pros and cons www.greatschool.org accessed on April 26th, 2015

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Regard,
ALFYD