ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of streaming according to gender on the performance of senior secondary school students in English language in Niger State. In the course of the work, the researcher compared the performance of students in single gender and mixed gender streams; male students in single gender and mixed gender streams; females students in single gender and mixed gender streams; male students single gender stream and female students single gender stream; and male and female students in mixed gender stream in English Language at senior secondary school level in Niger State. The population of the study was 53,468 from 248 schools of both single and mixed gender streams. Out of this, a total of one hundred and fifty-nine (159) students were sampled from three senior secondary schools, all in Minna metropolis and the quasi experimental research design was used to conduct the study. A total of 300 students' previous senior secondary school certificate examinations NECO results, spanning five years (2009-2013) from the same three senior secondary schools, all in Minna metropolis, Niger State, were used in an ex-post facto study in order to study the trend in students' performance by gender difference. To test students' performance, the NECO 2011 November/December past question papers was used, after treatment for 8 weeks, using English Language national curriculum content and prepared lesson notes. Frequency counts and Arithmetic means were used for descriptive analysis to answer the research questions. The t-test statistical technique was used for inferential analysis to test the hypotheses. This study is anchored on Bandura (1986)'s social learning theory. The theory emphasises on the importance of biological, social and cultural impacts on human behaviour, development and learning especially on gender and genders specific traits, bevaviour and roles.The results revealed that there was: significant difference between the performance of single gender and mixed gender stream students; significant difference also existed between the male students in single gender and mixed gender streams; there was no significant difference between the female students in single gender and mixed streams; significant difference however, existed between the male and the female students in single gender schools; and no significant difference between the male and the female students in mixed gender stream. In all the cases, the male students outperformed the female students except for the mixed gender stream where the result was generally poor. It was therefore, concluded that the single gender stream instructional environment was found to be more effective in enhancing better students' performance than the mixed gender streaming strategy especially in English language in Niger State. Consequently, it is recommended that the Niger State Government lends more support for the single gender streaming and improve in the provision of infrastructural facilities to enhance the academic performance of female students in single gender stream environment. Equity should also be ensured between schools in the course of such provisions as this will ensure improved students' performance in NECO and WAEC, SSC examinations in English Language in Niger State, Nigeria.