Data Based Decision Making

Female Behavior
Talking Off Task Texting Sleeping

5% 11%

28%

56%

Male Behavior
Talking Off Task Texting Sleeping

7% 14% 43%

36%

Students in this chart are based on the behavior of each class combined and gender groupings. Student names and actual various ages are protected. The number displayed matches the behavior charts displayed above that was displayed throughout my lesson in the beginning of my field observation with the students seated together, instead of in a segregated

format. The lesson at hand was a traced silhouette of the students heads filled with words describing themselves. At the beginning of the lesson the students had a homework assignment. Most of the students did not like that assignment. They actually were very upset with the assignment. It was then that I decided upon doing the behavior chart for both gender groups in the classes. I based the chart off of periods two, three, and six. These classes were all Art I, which is beginning art. The study was also based upon secondary levels grades 9-12. On average, students seemed to behave like normal students. They were a bit more rowdy than normal, but with high school students that do not particularly care for an assignment thats required tend to act up on occasion. I was prepared for that in an urban school setting like Capital High. I decided to gather a weeks worth of information and then I would change up the classroom seating and environment to gauge the reaction. Studies have shown that gender combined environments that are seated together do not do well compared to segregated classroom environments. After gathering a weeks worth of information about how the class acted, I then decided to implement the gender segregation research. I split the classroom into one female side of the room and then on the other side it was the male group. Some students actually got upset about having to move, but I explained to them that next week they could move back to their normal seats. The students then still reluctantly moved. The results were a bit shocking compared to the research studies I had read before doing this collective study. The results are displayed below.

Female Behavior
Talking Off Task Texting Sleeping

5% 14%

13%

68%

Male Behavior
Talking Off Task Texting Sleeping

5% 14%

54% 27%

As you can see from the results, not much changed. Talking increased drastically on both parts. Off-Task behavior decreased slightly. Texting nearly stayed the same, and sleeping decreased in the males, but stayed the same in the females. These results go against the common studies of gender segregation. Generally they say that the students will perform better. In my study I did not find that they changed much at all. In fact, it seemed to make the classroom environment more difficult to manage. As educators we know students need structure and routine. This disrupted that structure and in turn disrupted the flow of the classroom environment. If I were to teach this lesson again, I think that I would have done the segregation study first, then perhaps the results may have varied more. I think that the students would possibly have behaved differently versus having little variation on both charts. Also, I take into account the lesson that I chose to do this study on may have not been the best lesson to teach during this study. All things I will consider in the future when I conduct this study again.