Sex Differences in Interaction and Achievement in Cooperative Small Groups

This study investigated sex differences in interaction patterns and achievement in small groups. Seventy-seven students in two junior high school mathematics classes worked for 2 weeks in majority-female, majority-male, or groups with equal numbers of males and females. Same-sex and cross-sex interactions were analyzed for six interaction variables: giving, asking for, and receiving explanations; and giving, asking for, and receiving procedural information. Achievement and interaction results related to the ratio of females to males in a group. Females and males showed equal achievement and similar interaction patterns in groups with equal numbers of females and males. In majority-female groups, females directed most of their interaction to males and showed lower achievement than males. In majority-male groups, males tended to ignore females and showed somewhat higher achievement than did females. Explanations for these results and consequences for group composition in the classroom are discussed. The growing literature on cooperative learning in the classroom presents a consistent feature across the designs of studies: Nearly all studies use mixed-sex groups. Yet, little is known about the processes operating in mixed-sex groups in the classroom nor how these processes relate to achievement. Research on group dynamics in noneducational settings has consistently shown that males dominate the activity in mixed-sex groups (e.g., Borgatta & Stimson, 1963; Heilbrun, 1968; Strodtbeck, James & Hawkins, 1957; Strodtbeck & Mann, 1956). In a review of the recent literature on mixed-sex groups, Lockheed (in press) performed a meta-analysis of studies using collaborative tasks. Of 64 datasets that Lockheed examined, 45 showed greater male