From a very early age children are presented with stereotypical images of what boys and girls should be. In the coeducational classroom young people are reluctant to challenge these preconceptions. Girls may be afraid of appearing too smart or too aggressive. Boys may feel a need to act out to confirm their masculinity and be reluctant to reveal their more sensitive and thoughtful sides. In the single-sex classroom, however, boys and girls are able to explore more options.
Girls take leadership roles and boys develop stronger language skills.
The regard in which students in single-sex schools hold their classmates and the expectations they develop of themselves leads those in this unique environment to develop a shared value system that is conducive to greater academic achievement. This emphasis on affiliation in the single-sex school results in fewer problems of discipline and control. Academics clearly take priority over surroundings in single-sex schools, whereas socializing is often the main focus of many students in coeducational schools. The value that students in boys' or girls' schools place on achievement and personal discipline leads to another benefit. The absence of an audience of the opposite sex frees these students from posturing and role-playing, allowing them to discover their individual strengths and weaknesses and affording them opportunities to feel good about themselves.