Abstract
An experimental study of gender segregation in 38 fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms was conducted. Teachers in the experimental condition were encouraged to utilize small, mixed-sex instructional groups to promote gender integration and the reduction of gender stereotypes. Students in experimental classrooms engaged in more cross-sex interactions than students in control classrooms, and boys in experimental classrooms had greater preference for working in cross-sex groups; there were no experimental effects, however, for girls' preferences for working in cross-sex groups, and all students rated same-sex classmates more positively than cross-sex classmates, with no treatment effect on the ratings. Implications for gender segregation in the labor force are discussed.
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Support for the research reported herein was provided by the National Institute of Education Contract 400-80-0032 to Educational Testing Service and by ETS. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of either NIE or ETS.
The collaboration of Abigail Harris, and the assistance of Meredith Stone, Karen Jensen, and Leta Davis in the data collection, is gratefully acknowledged.
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Lockheed, M.E. Reshaping the social order: The case of gender segregation. Sex Roles 14, 617–628 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287692
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287692