Single Sex Research:
Beyond Anecdotal Records
SETTING UP A RESEARCH DESIGN
Margaret M. Ferrara, PhD
University of Nevada Reno
Editor - Advances in Gender/Education
Peter J. Ferrara, EdD
Consultant, Statistician
MPAT LLC
Shopping?
Finding the
research
question
?????????????
Research on
Single-Sex
Education
Unanswered
Which One
or Ones Fit
Your Study?
Identifying the Questions
 Is Single-Sex Education the Answer?
 Does Single-Sex Teaching Enhance Academic
Achievement of:

Boys?
• Girls?
The Learning Environment
Does it Improve in a Single-sex Environment?
Are Students More at Ease and Comfortable with Themselves and
with Each Other in a Single-sex Environment?
Are Students More Motivated?
Stereotypes
 Does Single-Sex Teaching Challenge the
Stereotypes Associated with Females and Males?
Exposure
 Does Single-Sex Education Make Students Different
from the Student Mainstream?
Preconditions
 What are the Preconditions That Need to be in Place
for Single-Sex Classes to be Implemented
Effectively?
 Unanswered Questions
 Future Research
Identifying the Research
Found in Refereed
Journal Articles and in
Longitudinal Studies
Embraced by the
Majority of the Group
Begin with a Research
Base that is Sound
Other Research
 “Quick Strategies” and Books of Strategies
 Just OK
 Consider Them Only in Light of the Research that
Supports Them
The Research Paradigm
 Mixed Method Design is the Strongest Choice for
Single-Sex Research
Quantitative
Qualitative
Quantitative Tools
These Provide the Soundest Data:
Pre and Post
Achievement
Scores
Cohort
Achievement
Scores
Attendance
Rates Over
Time
(Matched
samples –
single-sex
and mixed)
Students’
Discipline
Reports
(Matched
samples –
single-sex
and mixed)
Students’
Off-task
Behavior
(Matched
samples –
single-sex
and mixed)
School
Climate
Surveys
(subject
specific or
overall)
(Matched
samples –
single-sex
and mixed)
Qualitative Sources
Focus Groups with
Students and Teachers
Interviews with
Students and Teachers
Surveys from
Teachers/Students and
Administrators
Classroom
Observations
Teacher
Logs/Journals/Lesson
Plans/PLC Minutes
Student Logs/Journals
Tools to Avoid
 Report Card Grades
 Formative Test Scores
Identifying the Participants
Students
Researchers
Community
Administrators
Parents
Teachers
School Board
Must Have
 Need data for more than one year
 Avoid the Pygmalion Effect
 Need follow-up data and contact with same groups of
students
 Need follow-up contact with teachers who started in
the program
Timeline
Need data collected at the
baseline and at the end of
meaningful period of school
learning
4th to 6th grade
Middle School
Need a series of interviews to
establish longitudinal data
Administrators
Teachers
Students
Parents
Community
Structuring the Research Design
 Need schools with a commitment to single-sex
learning
 Need to set up design to answer research questions
Structuring the Research Design
Students’ Perceptions About:
.The learning atmosphere
Some Data
Points:
• Their own behavior in single-sex classes
• Their quality of work
• Their willingness to participate in
various activities
• Their preferred learning styles and
strategies
• teachers’ teaching strategies
Data Tools
 Semi-structured interviews with teachers and




students
Focus groups with students (two/three in each
group)
Classroom observations
Note taking for each event for anecdotal records
PLC agenda and minutes
Data Tools
 Qualitative discourse analysis
 Thought units
 Quantitative analysis of frequency counts:
 Attendance (students and teachers)
 Discipline incidents
 Off-task behaviors
Important Points to Keep in Mind
 Who has been left out of the study?

Typically parents
 Who are the “Outliers” in the study?
Students out of the Mainstream
 Gifted
 English Language Learners
 Students with Special Needs

Important Question!!
 How vigilant will you be to keep personal (and
others’) bias out of the written report?
 How willing are you to tell the whole story – the
good, the bad, and yes, the ugly?
Final Notes
 Data tools you might want to consider using are on
your CD
Your Insights
Never
Done