New Experiment: What Happens When Boys And Girls Study Separately For 3 Years?
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Co-education has been around in India since the Vedic times. And even though it was abandoned for a very long period in the middle, it’s now made a resounding comeback! However, you’ll still find a lot of anti-co-ed sentiments among people, with some arguing that the mixing of the sexes is not a good idea (1).
So, the question arises – is co-ed bad for education? Are there any advantages of single-gender schools? A new experiment carried out in a Russian school, School #34 in Kamensk-Uralsky City to be precise, provided a lot of interesting insights on what happens when boys and girls are taught separately for 3 years.
What Was The Experiment?
As a part of the experiment, boys and girls from junior school were given education in separate classrooms for 3 years. The boys’ classes were taught by men and focused on sports and physical education, while female teachers took over the girls’ classes and emphasized on needlework and choreography. However, children still took part in mixed-gender extracurricular and social activities, which means they had plenty of time and opportunity to interact. Once they graduated from primary school, classes became co-ed again to establish real communication among the kids.
Here are the key observations of this experiment:
1. Boys And Girls Distract Each Other
In a mixed gender classroom, both boys and girls unconsciously tried to impress each other. This causes children to get distracted from the lessons being taught and they fail to learn.
2. Boys’ Masculinity Is Ruined In Primary School
In terms of both physical and mental maturity, boys tend to be 2 to 3 years behind girls as the left hemisphere of their brain grows slowly (2). This causes the education system in schools to be centered on girls. Therefore, boys find it humiliating when they’re laughed at in front of the entire class for answering a question wrong. This causes aggression in them and undermines their masculinity.
3. Girls Prefer Clear Algorithms And Specifics
When in a classroom, girls take a shy but accurate approach to learning. They prioritize the processes and details of learning and are experts in completing general tasks as per the given algorithms. However, the presence of boys makes them feel shy in raising their hands and answering questions as they have the fear of being mocked – something that doesn’t happen when boys are not around.
4. Boys Would Rather Choose Their Own Path Than Follow Rules
Boys don’t like following the steps laid down to solve a problem. They prefer finding the solutions on their own. They take in what the teachers say and make their own rules, treating every task meted out as an adventure. Their approach is holistic, emotional, and imaginative. They like problematic tasks too and like to find solutions to them before anyone else.
5. Girls Do Better At Group Tasks
As per the finding of the experiments, girls performed better at collective tasks. When working in a group, they defined roles immediately and discussed the assigned task to come up with a solution for it as a group (3). That said, they retained their shyness and indecisiveness in individual tasks despite knowing the correct answer. Teachers also found out that girls needed praise even when they made mistakes so that they won’t lose confidence in the future.
6. Boys Discover Leadership Qualities In Single-Gender Classrooms
When girls are not around, boys are not reluctant to express what’s on their mind, even if it’s a bold statement. Moreover, despite the noisy nature of boys, teachers discovered they were less aggressive when they were studying with their own gender only. A sense of equality prevails among boys in single-gender classrooms and they discover leadership qualities. They also behave in a more dignified manner than during mixed-gender classes.
7. Children Respect Teachers More
In classes with single genders, teachers found it easier to connect with girls. Additionally, boys argued with their teachers less as they rarely found anyone worth impressing. Although teachers may take time to find the right way to do so, but eventually children will respect their teachers more in this kind of set up.
8. Their Posture And Health Improves
Another advantage of single-gender classrooms, as per this experiment, is an improvement in the posture and the health of students. Elena Romantsova, head of the Department of Pediatrics at the Amur Medical Academy, observed that boys never slouched in such classes and children overall were less likely to fall sick. Besides, they didn’t suffer from stress-induced weight loss either as they did in mixed-gender classes.
9. They Score Better
V.F. Bazarniy, a doctor of medical science, noted that the interest of boys and girls are different. He said whenever he narrates a fairytale, girls are captivated by its imagery or emotions while boys like other things. This makes it difficult for the teacher to capture the attention of every student in mixed classes. And the only way the teacher can get them to be attentive is through coercion and punishment. This leads to poorer grades. He said that before this experiment, only 3% of students got A grades; however, after the experiment, the stats multiplied by 8 to 10 times!
Although the experiment was largely successful, many also criticized it for being regressive and orthodox. What are your views? Do you think something like this would work? Let us know in the comments below!
