Bringing Boys and Girls Together in the Classroom: The Sanford Harmony Program

• In Event: Gender in the Classroom: Issues and Answers

Abstract

Throughout childhood, boys and girls prefer to play and interact with members of their own sex (Mehta & Strough, 2009). These preferences are so strong that it has been argued that boys and girls grow up in “two separate worlds”, in which they become more comfortable and effective with same-sex classmates than with other-sex classmates (Maccoby, 1998). Consequently, a cyclical pattern begins in which skills, behaviors, interaction styles, and relationship patterns that are typical of one’s own sex are practiced and strengthened whereas those that are typical of the other sex are not (Leaper, 1994). This pattern is incompatible with the demands of educational settings and practices and with children’s need to develop diverse and flexible skills and knowledge. Thus, it is imperative that girls and boys interact and work effectively in the classroom.
The Sanford Harmony Program (SHP) is a theoretically and empirically based curricular program for early childhood (Preschool Program) and late elementary school (Fifth-Grade Program) that was designed with input from educators to address gendered peer relationship issues at these two critical periods. The SHP provides training and materials for teachers to help them promote girls’ and boys’ interactions and relationships in the classroom. Key components of the program involve developmentally appropriate lessons for preschool and fifth-grade classrooms that are consistent with learning standards as well as curricular activities that are flexible and easily integrated in ongoing classroom routines and practices. We discuss efficacy data that provide support for the utility of the SHP in improving classroom peer relationships and children’s academic functioning.
Key components of SHP were assessed using matched intervention and control classrooms for both the Preschool (n = 94) and Fifth-Grade programs (n = 199). Data were collected via multiple methods, including child self reports, teacher reports, sociometric nominations, and naturalistic observations. Outcome analyses indicated that the SHP programs reduced negative peer interactions and increased positive peer interactions and academic skills and learning. For example, children in the SHP groups scored higher than children in the control groups on measures of same- and other-sex peer acceptance, competence in peer interactions, and positive attitudes toward peers, and they scored lower than control children on measures of peer exclusion, all ps < .05. Furthermore, SHP participants had greater levels of school-related instrumental skills (e.g., ability to follow directions, participation in class activities, etc.) as compared to control participants at post-test. Moreover, teachers reported fewer classroom behavioral problems for children in the SHP groups relative to the controls and high consumer satisfaction, ps < .05. Together, these findings show that classroom peer environments and learning are enhanced when boys and girls become more skilled in working together in the classroom.

Authors

• Laura Hanish, Arizona State University

• Carol Lynn Martin, Arizona State University

• Richard Fabes, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Kimberly Updegraff, Arizona State University

• Bridget Gaertner, Arizona State University

• Cindy Miller, Arizona State University

• Karen Kochel, Arizona State University

• Julie Sallquist, Arizona State University

• Stacie Foster, Arizona State University