Coalition Studies

A Comparison of Outcomes for Girls from Single-Sex and Co-Educational Schools Using PISA Data

A Comparison of Outcomes for Girls from Single-Sex and Co-Educational Schools Using PISA Data

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The Girls’ School Edge: A Review of the Literature on Single-Sex Education for Girls

The Girls’ School Edge: A Review of the Literature on Single-Sex Education for Girls

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The Positive Effects of the Girls’ School Environment: An Analysis of PISA Data

The Positive Effects of the Girls’ School Environment: An Analysis of PISA Data

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Fostering academic and social engagement an investigation into the effects of all girls education in the transition to university

Fostering academic and social engagement an investigation into the effects of all girls education in the transition to university

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Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools

Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools

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Recent Research

High School (recent graduates): Fostering Academic and Social Engagement: An Investigation into the Effects of All-Girls Education in the Transition to University

Principal Investigator: Dr. Tiffani A. Riggers-Piehl, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at University of Missouri, Kansas City

Published in December 2018
Fostering Academic and Social Engagement: An Investigation into the Effects of All-Girls Education in the Transition to University focuses a lens on how graduates of all-girls schools today compare to female graduates of coed schools in terms of their academic characteristics and readiness for university. Drawing data from the well-known Freshman Survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California, Los Angeles, the researchers used multilevel analyses to separate the effect of an all-girls education from other influences including socioeconomic differences, race/ethnicity, parent education, and the characteristics of the high schools attended. The data reveals a consistent portrait of girls’ school graduates who are more engaged academically and socially than their coeducated peers.

In summary, the researchers concluded that when compared to their female peers at coed schools, girls’ school graduates:

  • Have stronger academic skills
  • Are more academically engaged
  • Demonstrate higher science self-confidence
  • Display higher levels of cultural competency
  • Express stronger community involvement
  • Exhibit increased political engagement