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GENDER REPRESENTATIONS IN HIGH SCHOOL EFL COURSEBOOKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF JOB AND ADJECTIVE ATTRIBUTIONS

Year 2018, , 1722 - 1737, 17.10.2018
https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2018.18.39790-471184

Abstract

Gender-biased representations in coursebooks have the potential to affect learners and teacher in
terms of their attitudes, mindsets, and values. Considering the crucial importance of the
coursebooks in Turkish educational context, the present study aims to shed light on the distribution
of the gender roles in the coursebooks by examining job and adjective attributions. Within the scope
of this aim, the data of the study consist of high school EFL coursebooks and workbooks published
by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. In the data analysis procedure, a frequency count
was done to identify a number of roles attributed to female and male characters. In this respect, the
frequencies of jobs and adjective attributions of male and female characters were determined by
counting the tokens. In the following step, jobs and adjectives attributed to female and male
characters are classified and compared. As a result of the analysis, female and male characters in
the coursebooks differ from each other in terms of both the number and variety of jobs attributed
to them in spite of some similar jobs (e.g., teacher, doctor, architect) and adjectives (e.g., famous,
thoughtful, successful) attributed to both genders. The possible reasons underlying the
aforementioned differences are discussed and explained in detail by taking the Turkish educational
and social setting into consideration

References

  • Amini, M., & Birjandi, P. (2012). Gender bias in the Iranian high school EFL textbooks. English Language Teaching, 5(2), 134-147.
  • Arıkan, A. (2005). Age, gender and social class in ELT coursebooks: A critical study. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 28, 29-38.
  • Benavot, A. & Jere, C. (2016). Gender bias in rife in textbooks: Global education monitoring report (GEM). Retrieved from https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/gender-bias-is-rife-in-textbooks/ . University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.
  • Beutel, A. M., & Marini, M. M. (1995). Gender and values. American Sociological Review, 60(3), 436-448.
  • Bilgin, H. (2013). Gender representations in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade ELT coursebooks published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. MA Thesis: Bilkent University, Ankara.
  • Bulut, M. (2008). Socially responsible teaching in ELT: An evaluation of coursebooks on ethnicity, gender, and disability. MA: Hacettepe University.
  • Copley, K. (2017). Neoliberalism and ELT coursebook content. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 1-20.
  • Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.
  • Demira, Y., & Yavuz, M. (2017). Do ELT coursebooks still suffer from gender inequalities? A case study from Turkey. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 103-122.
  • Diktaş, M. (2011). Gender Representation in EFL Coursebooks. 2nd International Conference on New Trends in Education and Their Implications (27-29 April, 2011) Antalya-Turkey.
  • Dixon, R. M. W. (1982). Where have all the adjectives gone? Berlin-Amsterdam-New York: Mouton.
  • Galván, S. G. (2018). ELT Coursebook Illustrations: A Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis in Mexico. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Cognitive and Language Sciences, 12(2).
  • Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 
  • Graci, J. P. (1992). Gender role portrayal in college level elementary Spanish language textbooks. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, International.
  • Gupta, A. F., & Yin, A. L. S. (1990). Gender representation in English language textbooks used in the Singapore primary schools 1. Language and education, 4(1), 29-50.
  • Hall, M. (2014). Gender representation in current EFL textbooks in Iranian secondary schools. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(2), 253-261.
  • Hamdan, S. (2010). English-language textbooks reflect gender bias: A case study in Jordan. Advances in Gender and Education, 2, 22-26.
  • Hofstede, G. (2003). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage publications.
  • Holmqvist, P., & Gjörup, L. (2006). The representation of gender and gender roles in English textbooks. Malmö University Electronic Publication. Malo Hogskola, Lararutbildningen.
  • Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
  • Hurst, N. R. (2014). Visual representations in Portuguese produced English language teaching coursebooks. Linguarum Arena. Revista de Estudos em Didática de Línguas da Universidade do Porto, 5.
  • Jacobs, G. M., Jiexin, T., & Michael, J. J. (2016). The presentation of animals in English as an additional language coursebooks. Language and Ecology, 1-9.
  • Lee, J. F., & Collins, P. (2006). Gender representation in Hong Kong English textbooks. Linguistics and Education, 1, 23-36.
  • Mkuchu, S. G. V. (2004). Gender roles in textbooks as a function of hidden curriculum in Tanzania primary schools. PhD Thesis, University of South Africa.
  • Ndura, E. (2004). ESL and cultural bias: An analysis of elementary through high school textbooks in the Western United States of America. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 17(2), 143–153.
  • Opoku‐Amankwa, K. (2010). What happens to textbooks in the classroom? Pupils’ access to literacy in an urban primary school in Ghana. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 18(2), 159-172.
  • Özdoğru, A.A, Aksoy, G., Erdoğan, N. & Gök, F. (2006). Content Analysis for Gender Bias in Turkish Elementary School Textbooks. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference on Ethnographic and Qualitative Research in Education (June 9 and 10). Dayton, OH.
  • Rifkin, B. (1998). Gender representation in foreign language textbooks: A case study of textbooks of Russian. The Modern Language Journal, 82(2), 217-236.
  • Sakita, T. I. (1995). Sexism in Japanese English education: A survey of EFL texts. Women and Language, 13(2), 5.
  • Schultze, S. (1974). Sexism in Russian grammars. Russian Literature Triquarterly, 9, 571-574.
  • Sivaslıgil, P. (2006). Gender ideology in 6th, 7th and 8th grade coursebooks published by the Turkish Ministry of Education. MA Thesis, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
  • Skliar, O. (2007). Gender representations and gender bias in ELT textbooks published in the Middle East: A case study of ELT textbooks published in Turkey and Iran. MA thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
  • Skopinskaja, L. (2003). The role of culture in foreign language teaching materials: An evaluation from an intercultural perspective. In I. Lazar (Eds.)., Incorporating intercultural communicative competence in language teacher education (pp. 39-68). Bachernegg, Kapfenberg.
  • Söylemez, A. S. (2010). A study on how social gender identity is constructed in EFL coursebooks. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 747-752.
  • Sunderland, J. (1992). Gender in the EFL classroom. Elt Journal, 46(1), 81-91.
  • Sunderland, J. (2000). New understandings of gender and language classroom research: Texts, teacher talk and student talk. Language Teaching Research, 4(2), 149-173.
  • Şimşek, M. R., & Dündar, E. (2017). Investigating EFL coursebook research in Turkey: Trends in graduate theses of the 2001-2013 Period. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17(3), 969-1014.
  • Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (2017). İstatistiklerle kadın, 2016 (Rapor No: 24643), Retrieved from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=24643. Ankara, Türkiye.
  • Thomas, L. (2004). Language, society and power: An introduction (2nd ed). Ishtla Singh & Jean Stilwell Peccei. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Weber, R. P. (1990). Basic content analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • Yılmaz, E. (2012). Gender representations in ELT coursebooks: A comparative study. MA: Middle East Technical University.
  • Coursebooks
  • 1-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B1.1. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • 2-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B1.2. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • 3-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B2.1. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B2.2. (Yayınevi: MEB)

İNGİLİZCE LİSE DERS KİTAPLARINDA CİNSİYET TEMSİLİ: MESLEK VE SIFAT GÖSTERİMLERİ ÜZERİNE BİR İNCELEME

Year 2018, , 1722 - 1737, 17.10.2018
https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2018.18.39790-471184

Abstract

Ders kitaplarındaki cinsiyet yanlılığını hem öğrencilerin hem de öğretmenlerin tutumlarını,
zihniyetlerini ve değerlerini etkileme potansiyeline sahiptir. Türk eğitim bağlamında ders
kitaplarının önemi göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, bu çalışma, lise düzeyinde okutulan İngilizce
ders kitaplarında cinsiyet rollerinin meslek ve sıfat gösterimlerini incelemeyi hedeflemektedir. Bu
amaç doğrultusunda, çalışmanın verisi lise düzeyinde okutulan İngilizce çalışma ve alıştırma
kitaplarından oluşmaktadır. Çalışmanın veri analiz sürecinde ders kitaplarındaki metinlerde kadın
ve erkek cinsiyet rollerine atfedilen meslek ve sıfat gösterimlerinin sıklıkları sayılmıştır, bu
bağlamda kadınlara ve erkeklere yüklenen meslek ve sıfatlar saptanmıştır. Sonraki aşamada ise
kadın ve erkeklere yüklenen meslek ve sıfat gösterimleri sınıflandırılmış ve karşılaştırılmıştır.
Çalışmanın sonucunda, mesleklerde (öğretmen, doktor, mimar, vb.) ve sıfatlarda (ünlü, düşünceli,
başarılı, vb.) cinsiyet dağılımlarındaki birtakım benzerliklere karşın kadın ve erkek rollerinin
çalışma kapsamında incelenen bütün kitaplarda cinsiyetlere yüklenen meslek ve sıfatların hem sayı
bakımından hem de çeşit bakımından ayrıştığı saptanmıştır. Bu farklılıkların altındaki olası
nedenler Türkiye’deki eğitim ve sosyal bağlam doğrultusunda açıklanmış ve tartışılmıştır.

References

  • Amini, M., & Birjandi, P. (2012). Gender bias in the Iranian high school EFL textbooks. English Language Teaching, 5(2), 134-147.
  • Arıkan, A. (2005). Age, gender and social class in ELT coursebooks: A critical study. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 28, 29-38.
  • Benavot, A. & Jere, C. (2016). Gender bias in rife in textbooks: Global education monitoring report (GEM). Retrieved from https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/gender-bias-is-rife-in-textbooks/ . University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.
  • Beutel, A. M., & Marini, M. M. (1995). Gender and values. American Sociological Review, 60(3), 436-448.
  • Bilgin, H. (2013). Gender representations in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade ELT coursebooks published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. MA Thesis: Bilkent University, Ankara.
  • Bulut, M. (2008). Socially responsible teaching in ELT: An evaluation of coursebooks on ethnicity, gender, and disability. MA: Hacettepe University.
  • Copley, K. (2017). Neoliberalism and ELT coursebook content. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 1-20.
  • Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.
  • Demira, Y., & Yavuz, M. (2017). Do ELT coursebooks still suffer from gender inequalities? A case study from Turkey. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 103-122.
  • Diktaş, M. (2011). Gender Representation in EFL Coursebooks. 2nd International Conference on New Trends in Education and Their Implications (27-29 April, 2011) Antalya-Turkey.
  • Dixon, R. M. W. (1982). Where have all the adjectives gone? Berlin-Amsterdam-New York: Mouton.
  • Galván, S. G. (2018). ELT Coursebook Illustrations: A Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis in Mexico. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Cognitive and Language Sciences, 12(2).
  • Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 
  • Graci, J. P. (1992). Gender role portrayal in college level elementary Spanish language textbooks. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, International.
  • Gupta, A. F., & Yin, A. L. S. (1990). Gender representation in English language textbooks used in the Singapore primary schools 1. Language and education, 4(1), 29-50.
  • Hall, M. (2014). Gender representation in current EFL textbooks in Iranian secondary schools. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(2), 253-261.
  • Hamdan, S. (2010). English-language textbooks reflect gender bias: A case study in Jordan. Advances in Gender and Education, 2, 22-26.
  • Hofstede, G. (2003). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage publications.
  • Holmqvist, P., & Gjörup, L. (2006). The representation of gender and gender roles in English textbooks. Malmö University Electronic Publication. Malo Hogskola, Lararutbildningen.
  • Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
  • Hurst, N. R. (2014). Visual representations in Portuguese produced English language teaching coursebooks. Linguarum Arena. Revista de Estudos em Didática de Línguas da Universidade do Porto, 5.
  • Jacobs, G. M., Jiexin, T., & Michael, J. J. (2016). The presentation of animals in English as an additional language coursebooks. Language and Ecology, 1-9.
  • Lee, J. F., & Collins, P. (2006). Gender representation in Hong Kong English textbooks. Linguistics and Education, 1, 23-36.
  • Mkuchu, S. G. V. (2004). Gender roles in textbooks as a function of hidden curriculum in Tanzania primary schools. PhD Thesis, University of South Africa.
  • Ndura, E. (2004). ESL and cultural bias: An analysis of elementary through high school textbooks in the Western United States of America. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 17(2), 143–153.
  • Opoku‐Amankwa, K. (2010). What happens to textbooks in the classroom? Pupils’ access to literacy in an urban primary school in Ghana. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 18(2), 159-172.
  • Özdoğru, A.A, Aksoy, G., Erdoğan, N. & Gök, F. (2006). Content Analysis for Gender Bias in Turkish Elementary School Textbooks. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference on Ethnographic and Qualitative Research in Education (June 9 and 10). Dayton, OH.
  • Rifkin, B. (1998). Gender representation in foreign language textbooks: A case study of textbooks of Russian. The Modern Language Journal, 82(2), 217-236.
  • Sakita, T. I. (1995). Sexism in Japanese English education: A survey of EFL texts. Women and Language, 13(2), 5.
  • Schultze, S. (1974). Sexism in Russian grammars. Russian Literature Triquarterly, 9, 571-574.
  • Sivaslıgil, P. (2006). Gender ideology in 6th, 7th and 8th grade coursebooks published by the Turkish Ministry of Education. MA Thesis, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
  • Skliar, O. (2007). Gender representations and gender bias in ELT textbooks published in the Middle East: A case study of ELT textbooks published in Turkey and Iran. MA thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
  • Skopinskaja, L. (2003). The role of culture in foreign language teaching materials: An evaluation from an intercultural perspective. In I. Lazar (Eds.)., Incorporating intercultural communicative competence in language teacher education (pp. 39-68). Bachernegg, Kapfenberg.
  • Söylemez, A. S. (2010). A study on how social gender identity is constructed in EFL coursebooks. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 747-752.
  • Sunderland, J. (1992). Gender in the EFL classroom. Elt Journal, 46(1), 81-91.
  • Sunderland, J. (2000). New understandings of gender and language classroom research: Texts, teacher talk and student talk. Language Teaching Research, 4(2), 149-173.
  • Şimşek, M. R., & Dündar, E. (2017). Investigating EFL coursebook research in Turkey: Trends in graduate theses of the 2001-2013 Period. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17(3), 969-1014.
  • Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (2017). İstatistiklerle kadın, 2016 (Rapor No: 24643), Retrieved from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=24643. Ankara, Türkiye.
  • Thomas, L. (2004). Language, society and power: An introduction (2nd ed). Ishtla Singh & Jean Stilwell Peccei. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Weber, R. P. (1990). Basic content analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • Yılmaz, E. (2012). Gender representations in ELT coursebooks: A comparative study. MA: Middle East Technical University.
  • Coursebooks
  • 1-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B1.1. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • 2-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B1.2. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • 3-       Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B2.1. (Yayınevi: MEB)
  • Yes You Can (Student’s Book) B2.2. (Yayınevi: MEB)
There are 46 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Sibel Söğüt This is me

Publication Date October 17, 2018
Submission Date December 13, 2017
Published in Issue Year 2018

Cite

APA Söğüt, S. (2018). GENDER REPRESENTATIONS IN HIGH SCHOOL EFL COURSEBOOKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF JOB AND ADJECTIVE ATTRIBUTIONS. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 18(3), 1722-1737. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2018.18.39790-471184

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