GENDER REPRESENTATION IN LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS

Wing-man Chan
Additional contact information
Wing-man Chan: The Open University of Hong Kong

Advances in Education Sciences, 2021, vol. 3, issue 1, 64-80

Abstract: Textbooks and teaching materials play a key role in the learning process as well as both formal and hidden curricula. The hidden curriculum relating to gender biases transmitted to students may influence not only their conceptualisation of gender roles, but also their personal growth, cognitive development, and identities involving their academic and career choices. This paper aims to discuss the hidden curriculum of language textbooks and teaching materials with a specific focus on gender representation. First, it gives a critical account of empirical studies, and this will be followed by an analysis of a textbook which explores gender representation in a commercial English listening and speaking textbook (Real Listening and Speaking 4). Focusing on gender stereotyping, gender visibility, use of gender-biased language, address titles, and firstness, a quantitative content analysis was carried out. While the results indicate that the textbook maintains stereotypical depictions of gender roles, the gender equality is reflected in the form of balanced female and male visibility and the use of gender-neutral language, non-asymmetrical address titles and firstness. This study also provides some implications for language teaching and the development of future materials.

Keywords: gender bias; gender representation; hidden curriculum; language textbooks; stereotype (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://aesj.ro/aesj/article/view/12/12 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ako:aesjou:v:3:y:2021:i:1:p:64-80

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5791934

Access Statistics for this article

Advances in Education Sciences is currently edited by Alexandru Strunga

More articles in Advances in Education Sciences from Department of Communication, Journalism and Education Sciences, University of Craiova and Center of Advanced Studies in Education Sciences (CASES)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Alexandru Strunga ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).