Gender Differences in Competition Among Gifted Students: The Role of Single-Sex Versus Co-Ed Classrooms

Abstract

This study challenges an existing controversy, whether there are innate differences in competitiveness between boys and girls in general, and among the gifted in particular, or whether competitiveness is context-sensitive. The specific context examined in the study is that of two pullout weekly enrichment gifted programs: one with single-sex classrooms, and the other with co-ed classes. The competitiveness of 129 students was examined in three different areas: motor (running), spatial, and verbal tasks. The results indicate that boys performed better than girls did in all tasks, with the exception of competitive verbal tasks. Girls were more competitive than boys were in verbal tasks, and there were no significant differences in competitiveness between girls in co-ed environments and girls in a single-sex environment. This adds to the literature that views competitiveness as task-sensitive rather than gender-dependent.

Keywords:

• co-education
• competition
• competitiveness
• gifted girls
• gifted students
• single-sex class

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was conducted with support from the Intercollegiate Research Committee of the National Research and Development Institute of the teacher education colleges (‘MOFET’).

Notes on contributors

Shahar Gindi

Shahar Gindi is a school and clinical psychologist as well as a lecturer and researcher at Beit Berl College. His research interests include autism, giftedness, teacher training, and program evaluation. E-mail: [email protected]

Judith Kohan-Mass

Judith Kohan-Mass has main research interests that include neuroeducation, especially individual differences in cognitive processes in learning and thinking in general, and in gifted children as well as gender gaps in particular. She is a faculty member of the Educational Department of The College for Academic Studies and a teaching fellow at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Teacher Training. E-mail: [email protected]

Avital Pilpel

Avital Pilpel wrote his dissertation on changing views in science under Professor Levi at Columbia University. His main concern is epistemology, in particular the rationality of changing opinions, and how change of opinion works in extreme situations (such as in gifted children or in cases of depression). He works with colleagues from the field of economics and psychology on the practical importance of philosophy in general and the epistemology of change of opinion in particular. E-mail: [email protected]