A comparative study of self-perceived leadership skills in coeducational, male-only, and female-only educational settings

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect that a gender-specific classroom had on men's and women's self-perceived leadership abilities as compared to coeducational classrooms where the students were studying leadership together. The sample for the study comprised 81 junior and senior students enrolled in a survey leadership course (ALED 340) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications during the Spring 2007 semester at Texas A&M University. The students were assigned to one of five leadership laboratory sections; three sections were traditional coeducational, one was all-male, and one was all-female.; During the last week of the course, the students voluntarily participated in a Leadership Skills Inventory survey that asked them to rate their self-perceptions of their leadership skills. The instrument used the post-then design method that asked for their perceptions prior to beginning the course and their perceptions at the conclusion of the course. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 14.0.; Results of the study showed statistically significantly higher self-perceptions of leadership skills abilities for those students who participated in the gender-specific laboratory sections. The all-male section's self-perceptions were statistically significantly higher than both the males in the coeducational sections and the coeducational sections as a whole. The all-female section's self-perceptions were statistically significantly higher than the coeducational sections as a whole. The study also revealed that leadership experience in organizations and activities in high school and college prior to enrolling in a college-level leadership course statistically significantly improves self-perceptions of leadership skills ability. Results of this study agree with many research studies that support single-sex schooling and education.