Sex segregation in one Jamaican high school: the perspectives of the teachers and students

Male underachievement has been a pervasive issue in the Jamaican Education System. It has been particularly evident in the annual terminal examination statistics published by the Ministry of Education. This widening gap between male and female academic performance has been the source of countless debates, especially because it has been occurring in an era when Jamaica has attained equity in access to education at the primary level and is aiming to spread this to other levels of the education system. In the absence of a national initiative to address male underachievement, school administrators have had to implement innovative strategies to address male underachievement within their institutions. One strategy that has been explored is single-sex classes in coeducational schools. The literature lacks consensus on the benefits of single-sex education in general and has not explored the use of single-sex instruction in coeducational schools in the Jamaican context. Considering this, the study aims to explore the use of single-sex classes in one Jamaican coeducational institution as a strategy to address male underachievement.

In conducting this inquiry, I utilised a qualitative case study research design. This was used to develop an understanding of why single-sex instruction was utilised, how the program was implemented, and how it was perceived by the teachers and students who experienced it daily. The data was collected by interviewing teachers, conducting focus group interviews with students, administering questionnaires, and observing lessons. After careful analysis of the data, the study revealed that although there were positive outcomes for some male students, there was no conclusive evidence that single-sex classes in coeducational schools improved male academic achievement at the institution. On that basis, it is contended that this study contributes knowledge on this unique strategy of single-sex education in a coeducational school in the Jamaican context. It provides a model that both educators and policymakers can explore for its potential to be adapted before it is adopted by other schools in Jamaica.