Teachers in all-girl classes can employ methods of teaching specific to the interests of girls. Boys and girls in the middle school years learn differently. In an all-girl class, a teacher can give all her attention to the girls without the need to discipline boys. Discipline problems also decrease significantly (see Reference 2). All-girl classes provide better learning opportunities for girls who are able to focus on their academics without the distraction of boys. This leads to a greater sense of fulfillment and confidence.
In all-girl classes, girls learn to compete on a different level with each other. There are no boys to impress, no traditional gender roles to fulfill in relation to boys -- roles that may require them to be docile and accommodating, not fiercely competitive -- and so they can simply start expressing themselves and discover their true potential. All-girl classes foster the desire to aim higher in terms of goal-achievement, and the eventual social effect of this will be the strong, independent woman.
All-girl classes will teach girls to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas with girls in an open, uninhibited manner, without the self-consciousness that can come from speaking in the presence of boys. Since girls and boys have different responses to stress, with girls becoming more anxious and nervous, all girl classes encourage girls to become more resilient to stress because they are able to strengthen themselves without the attentive eyes of boys.
All-girl classes during the critical adolescent growth years of ages 10-14 do, however, hamper social growth outside of the classes, even though within a class girls are vocal and confident. All-girl classes may make them shy and awkward around boys, and adjustment to mixed-gender classes in high school may be challenging. Also, the lack of competition from and exposure to boys may be considered unhealthy and unrealistic for girls who will at some point soon need to mix with and understand the opposite sex.