Evaluating the influence of same-sex secondary agriculture classrooms on student career interests

Single-sex classrooms have been a topic of interest in the educational community since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The academic achievement gap between boys and girls in high school is a complex and multifaceted issue that has garnered significant attention in educational research. Proponents of single-sex classrooms argue that it reduces social anxiety, physical aggression, and can close the achievement gap between boys and girls. This quasi-experimental study compared students in single-sex classrooms and coeducational classrooms of ten various Principles of Agriculture courses in Kentucky, and the influence these teaching models had on students’ career interests. Key findings from this experimental study included: (a) boys in single-sex classrooms ranked their interest in the agriculture, food, and natural resources career pathway the highest; (b) the classroom structure nor the sex of the students were not influential to the gain in students interest in the agriculture, food, and environment careers; (c) boys and girls in single-sex classroom structures were influenced more than their coeducational classroom colleagues in a career interest in education and training, particularly, agricultural education. Recommendations from this study include: (a) exposing boys to careers in agricultural education early in high school; (b) prepare teachers on methodologies that limit gender stereotypes within the agriculture career field; and (c) the need for study replication along with longitudinal and qualitative research.