Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of the Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Coeducational Secondary Schooling

Teachers and students from all government secondary schools in Barbados rated various aspects of teacher/student behaviour and of more general school functioning, according to the extent to which they perceived coeducational schools to be at an advantage or disadvantage relative to single-sex institutions. Overall both groups saw coeducation as most advantageous in respect of the school's ability to prepare students for future occupational and interpersonal roles, and to impact most negatively on students' current conduct and adherence to school rules. Male students tended to express more positive views on coeducation than females, although such a trend was not consistent among teachers. Teachers and students in single-sex schools tended to have more positive views than those in coeducational schools, with the most negative opinions being voiced by teachers (especially females) working in schools which were formerly single-sex and had recently become coeducational.