Impact of introducing single-gender classrooms in higher education on student achievement levels: A case study in software engineering courses in the GCC region

Zeid, Amir; El-Bahey, Rehab

doi:10.1109/fie.2011.6142921

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Students' gender brings yet another interesting dimension to this analysis and provides vital information about the ways students engage, collaborate and learn along different gender lines [12], [13]. The study carried out in [14] indicates that females tend to focus more on social oriented activities, while males clearly focus more on taskoriented activities. Moreover female students learning together in the technology-rich environment seem to participate more actively and persistently regardless of the nature of the task [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The focus of these studies varied from trying to employ genderspecific educational strategies to enhance students' confidence and skills to trying to improve learning outcomes and achieve social mobility [14]. In [14], it is found that the overall course performance for both genders was improved by changing the software engineering classroom composition from a gender heterogeneous to a gender homogeneous classroom. However, the ratios of gender composition in the 4 academic years under comparison were different, while the initial mixed gender case was seriously under-represented.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Does gender matter for collaborative learning?

Cen

Ruta

Powell

et al. 2014

2014 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In our recent work we have proven quantitatively that collaborative learning improves students' knowledge retention and boosts the quality of attained learning outcomes. In this research we investigate the role that the students' gender plays in their engagement during collaborative learning and their learning performance as assessed by the teacher. In the context of the EBTIC developed Collaborative Learning Environment deployed at Khalifa University along the sequence of three group courseworks over one semesters, we intend to explore the differences between the collaborative learning style and quality in female, male and mixed-gender groups. The series of detailed cross-gender learning engagement and performance comparisons indicate that female groups tend to work simultaneously and achieve better results while male group members engage less and work in sequence. As a result female groups exploit the added benefits of collaborative learning more than the male groups. What is striking, however, the members of the mixed-gender groups excel the most, significantly improving their engagement, focus and the quality of groupwork comparing to same-gender groups. We believe this outcome delivers yet another proof of the synergies and efficiencies of interactive learning in a diverse group of students and encourages mixing genders when composing groups for collaborative learning.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does gender matter for collaborative learning?

Cen

Ruta

Powell

et al. 2014

2014 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Kuwait, observing performance in single sex versus co-ed classrooms, single sex classrooms showed better performance among both genders [13]. In their study about Mauritius, Adams, et al [15] relate the high representation of women in computer science to the separate gender education at Mauritian high schools, which "permits Mauritian women to discover their academic strengths and weaknesses in an environment that is separate from (but equal to) that of Mauritian men" [15].…”

Section: Proposed Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Introducing single-gender classes was one of the proposed solutions to generate female interest in computing [13,14,15,19]. In Kuwait, observing performance in single sex versus co-ed classrooms, single sex classrooms showed better performance among both genders [13].…”

Section: Proposed Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Women in computing A case study about Kuwait

El-Bahey

Zeid

2013

2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Female under-representation in the field of computing has been a global concern. A ccording to recent research studies in the US, females are less likely than males to consider a career or a degree in computer-related fields. Opposite trends have been appearing in other parts of the world showing a high female turnout in computer studies. One of those countries is Kuwait, a small country situated in the Persian Gulf. According the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the percentage of female graduates in tertiary education in Kuwait has reached 69% in 2009 (80% in science related disciplines). Female undergraduate enrollment in computing studies in Kuwait is in the range of 40 to 50 percent, which is considerably high compared to other parts of the world. In this paper, we present a case study about women in computing in Kuwait, through which we highlight their motivations for studying computer science and information systems. A survey was conducted among male and female university students in Kuwait about attitudes and perceptions on females in computing and reasons for joining computer studies. The results were analyzed and compared to similar studies in the US.

show abstract