Research Study: Women Students at Coeducational and Women’s Colleges: How Do Their Experiences Compare

In 2007 a study at Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research was conducted: “Women Students at Coeducational and Women’s Colleges: How Do Their Experiences Compare.”  The data was compiled in the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and is based on data from first-year and senior students at 26 women’s colleges and 264 other four-year institutions. Below is the conclusion of the study. Also available is the 21-page research paper.

Highlights From the Study Include the Conclusion:

Conclusion
"As Geraldine Clifford (1993, p. 142), observed, “gender . . . is one of the most potent forces in shaping human institutions, including education.” For more than two decades, proponents of women’s colleges have asserted that such institutions offer female students a more equitable, and therefore a higher quality, developmentally powerful learning environment (Langdon, 2001; Sharp, 1991; Neff & Harwood, 1991, Conway, 1985; Women’s College Coalition, 1981). Our findings support this claim and plainly indicate that single-sex colleges are not an anachronistic postsecondary option for women. On the contrary, in many respects they are models of effective educational practice, institutions that have much to teach other types of colleges and universities that aspire to providing a challenging yet supportive educational environment for all their students."