Differences between Pupils from Mixed and Single‐sex Schools in Their Enjoyment of School Subjects and in Their Attitudes to Science and to School

Abstract

Over 2300 pupils aged 13‐14 years in seven mixed and six single‐sex English comprehensive schools were tested on their attitudes to science in general, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and school, and were asked to rank in order all their school subjects in terms of liking and of perceived importance. The results of all but the Perception of Subject Importance questionnaire reveal several significant differences between the groups from the mixed and from the single‐sex schools.