Self-Esteem of Boys During the Transition From a Single-Sex Middle School to a Coeducational High School

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how men who attended a single-sex elementary and middle school as a boy describe their experiences following their transition to coeducational high schools and how the participants perceived those experiences influenced their global self-esteem during the first years in high school. Two questions guided the research. 1) What changes, if any, did the men in this study perceive in their global self-esteem, as measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale after their transition from a single-sex middle school to a coeducational high school? 2) If there were changes to the levels of global self-esteem, how much of the change do these men perceive was attributed to the influence of the different educational environments of the single-sex school and the coeducational school? Using a qualitative case study methodology, data was collected through interviews, self-surveys, demographic questionnaires, and artifacts. Each participant reported a decrease in their global self-esteem during the first year of attending a coeducational high school. Data analysis revealed three central themes extracted from the perceptions of the participants that influenced the reported decrease in self-esteem following the transition from a single-sex middle school to a coeducational high school: (a) a feeling of loss of both peer and adult relationships that were built over many years, (b) participants experienced a change in values and ethics once they entered the coeducational high school, and (c) The focus of competition changed from self- improvement and team building to the goal of dominating others