Science course participation and science achievement in single sex and co‐educational schools

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Abstract
There has been a renewal of interest in discussion about the appropriateness of single sex schooling, especially for girls, at the secondary school stage, partly reflecting a degree of disillusionment with economically driven policies of large‐scale co‐education. There is some common ground in the feminist and ‘traditionalist’ contributions to this discussion. In the light of these developments, this paper addresses issues related to the comparative impact of single sex and co‐educational secondary schools on pupil participation in science courses and on pupils’ attainment in public examinations taken at the end of the period of compulsory schooling in Northern Ireland. A multi‐level modelling approach to the re‐analysis of survey data is used. Attendance at single sex schools did not appear to confer participation or attainment advantages on pupils.