Perceptions of administrative staff, teachers, students, and support teams of the effectiveness of single-gender education at an inner city school in metro Atlanta, 2007

The purpose of the study was to investigate the administrators, teachers, students and support teams perceptions on the effectiveness of single-gender classes on student academic performance, attendance, discipline, and teacher student support teams. The study used both quantitative and qualitative data. Interviews focused on four independent variables related to student behavior: academic performance, attendance, discipline, and teacher-student support relationship. In addition, data were gathered by conducting surveys of teachers and students perceptions in terms of students in regards of academic performance, attendance, discipline, and teacher-student support relationship. The sample population was 77 students and 16 teachers from one school. The demographic variables for teachers were grade level, years of experience, and higher degree earned. Student demographic variables were age, gender, previous school, and whether or not they attended summer school. Pearson correlations indicated that there were no significant relationships among teacher and student demographics and their perceptions of students academic performance, attendance, discipline, and teacher-student support relationship. However descriptive data, although not significant, showed that teachers tend to have higher perceptions of the effectiveness of single-gender classes. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that there is a significant difference between teachers and students in regards to the effectiveness of single-gender classes in term of teacher-student support relationship, F(92)=4.64, p=.034. However, further observations of teachers and students indicated that they shared a neutral to somewhat agreeable perception of the effectiveness of single-gender classes in terms of academic performance, discipline, and attendance. Teachers tended to have higher mean, although not significant, than students. Further analy sis indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female students in regards to the effectiveness of single-gender classes. Both male and female students tended to share a neutral to somewhat agreeable sentiment on the effectiveness of single-gender classes on academic performance, discipline, attendance and teacher-student support relationship. However, male students tended to have higher mean than females, although not significant. The qualitative analysis of the interviews and written comments indicated that administrators, teachers, support teams and students tended to favor single classes