Bir İngilizce Sınıfında Akran Gruplarında Toplumsal Cinsiyet Kimliklerinin Kurulumu
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 58 Sayı: 3, 1345 - 1398, 15.12.2025
Asuman Fulya Soğuksu
,
Fatma Bıkmaz
Öz
Bu çalışmanın amacı, kız ve erkek öğrencilerin akran gruplarında toplumsal cinsiyet kimliklerini nasıl kurduklarını sınıf içi İngilizce öğrenme yaşantıları bağlamında incelemektir. Eleştirel etnografik yaklaşıma dayandırılan araştırma, bir devlet okulunda bir onuncu sınıftaki 34 öğrenci ve sınıfın İngilizce öğretmeni ile yürütülmüştür. Katılımcı gözlem ve görüşmeler yoluyla etnografik veri üretimi sağlanmıştır. Verilerin Foucault’nun “doğruluk oyunları” kavramına dayalı biçimde çözümlenmesiyle ulaşılan bulgular; toplumsal cinsiyetin akran gruplarında çoklu biçimde kurulumunu, sosyal sınıfla kesişimselliği, gruplar arası iktidar mücadelelerini ve popüler erkek grubunun baskın erkeklik performansını ortaya koymaktadır. Bulgular, sınıfta alternatif toplumsal cinsiyet performanslarının dışlandığını ve disiplin edici toplumsal cinsiyet kurgularının yeniden üretildiğini de göstermektedir. Bunların yanında, çalışmada bazı öğrenciler için düzenleyici mekanizmalara karşı dokunulmazlığın ve grup dinamiklerine dışlanmadan katılımın olanaklı olduğu görülmektedir. Bu belirlemeler, İngilizce öğrenme süreçleri ve gelecek araştırmalar için birtakım çıkarımlarda bulunmayı olanaklı kılmaktadır.
Etik Beyan
Bu çalışma, Ankara Üniversitesi Etik Kurul Başkanlığı’ndan gerekli onay alınarak yürütülmüştür. Araştırma sürecinde tüm etik ilkeler gözetilmiş, katılımcılardan gönüllü olarak katılım sağladıklarına dair aydınlatılmış onam alınmıştır.
Destekleyen Kurum
Ankara Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Birimi
Proje Numarası
16L0630002
Teşekkür
Bu araştırmanın yürütülmesine katkı sağlayan ve deneyimlerini paylaşarak çalışmayı mümkün kılan tüm katılımcılara içten teşekkür ederiz.
Kaynakça
-
Arıkan, A. (2005). Age, gender and social class in ELT coursebooks: A critical study. Hacettepe University Journal of Educational Sciences, 28, 29-38. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/hunefd/issue/7808/102417
-
Aslan, O. (2009). The role of gender and language learning strategies in learning English (Thesis No. 250767) [Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=NtBAevXNhYaNqJFoAcdBdtjbqqS9TsxUKnZiQ0JctRk5tqln1smvdVolQ5M7jcns
-
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
Cameron, D. (2005). Language, gender and sexuality: Current issues and new directions. Applied Linguistics, 26(4), 482-502. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami027
-
Cameron, D. (2010). Sex/Gender, Language and the New Biologism. Applied Linguistics, 31(2), 173-192. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amp022
-
Carspecken, P. F. (1996). Critical ethnography in educational research: A theoretical and practical guide. Routledge.
-
Connell, R. W. (1989). Cool guys, swots and wimps: The interplay of masculinity and education. Oxford Review of Education, 15(3), 291-301. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1050420
-
Connell, R.W. (2005). Masculinities (2nd ed.). Routledge.
-
Delamont, S. (2007). Ethnography and participant observation. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 205-217). Sage.
-
Egemen, F. (2017). Gender representations in the EFL course book Yes You Can A2.1 (Thesis No. 454390) [Master’s thesis, Çukurova University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=DPTyuy3wRPq_qvCPSqUB673c6LA-7dcpZDbI30t1qV6_tiahFMGgdsWI0vZwi64d
-
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
-
Goldstein, T. (1997). Language research methods and critical pedagogy. In N. H. Hornberger & D. Corson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of language and Education, Volume 8 (pp. 67-77). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
-
Heller, M. (2001). Gender and public space in a bilingual school. In A. Pavlenko, A. Blackledge, I. Piller, & M. Teutsch-Dwyer (Eds.), Multilingualism, Second Language Learning, and Gender (pp. 257-282). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
-
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
-
Johannessen, E. M. V. (2021). Blurred lines: The ambiguity of disparaging humour and slurs in Norwegian high school boys’ friendship groups. Young, 29(5), 475-489. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088211006924
-
Julé, A. (2004). Gender, participation and silence in the language classroom: Sh- shushing the girls. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Kehily, M. J., & Nayak, A. (1997). ‘Lads and laughter’: Humour and the production of heterosexual hierarchies. Gender and Education, 9(1), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540259721466
-
Kenway, J., & Fitzclarence , L. (1997). Masculinity, violence and schooling: Challenging poisonous pedagogies. Gender and Education, 9(1), 117-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540259721493
-
Lather, P. (1986). Research as praxis. Harvard Educational Review, 56(3), 257-277. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.56.3.bj2h231877069482
-
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage.
-
Mac an Ghaill, M. (1994). The making of men: Masculinities, sexualities and schooling. Open University Press.
-
Mahony, P. (1985). Schools for the boys? Co-education reassessed. Hutchinson.
-
Martino, W. (1999). ‘Cool boys’, ‘party animals’, ‘squids’ and ‘poofters’: Interrogating the dynamics and politics of adolescent masculinities in school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425699995434
-
Martino, W. (2000). Policing masculinities: Investigating the role of homophobia and heteronormativity in the lives of adolescent school boys. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 8(2), 213-236. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.0802.213
-
Menzies, F. G., & Santoro, N. (2017). ‘Doing’ gender in a rural Scottish secondary school: An ethnographic study of classroom interactions. Ethnography and Education, 13(4): 428-441. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457823.2017.1351386
-
Norton, B., & Pavlenko, A. (2004). Gender and English language learners: Challenges and possibilities. In B. Norton & A. Pavlenko (Eds.), Gender and English language learners (pp. 1-14). TESOL.
-
Odenbring, Y., & Johansson, T. (2021). Just a joke? The thin line between teasing, harassment and violence among teenage boys in lower secondary school. Journal of Men’s Studies, 29(2), 177-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1060826520934771
-
Öztürk, G., & Gürbüz, N. (2013). The impact of gender on foreign language speaking anxiety and motivation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 654-665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.106
-
Pavlenko, A., & Piller, I. (2008). Language education and gender. In S. May & N. H. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education vol. 1: Language policy and political issues in education (pp. 57-69). Springer.
-
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative research and evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage.
-
Paechter, C., & Clark, S. (2007). Learning gender in primary school playgrounds: Findings from the Tomboy identities study. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 15(3), 317-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360701602224
-
Peltola, M., & Phoenix, A. (2022). Nuancing young masculinities: Helsinki boys’ intersectional relationships in new times. Helsinki University Press.
-
Pennycook, A. (2021). Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Routledge.
-
Pennycook, A. (2022). Critical applied linguistics in the 2020s. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 19(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2022.2030232
-
Punj, G., & Steward, D. W. (1983). Cluster analysis in marketing research: Review and suggestions for application. Journal of Marketing Research, 20(2), 134-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378302000204
-
Reay, D. (2001). ‘Spice girls’, ‘nice girls’, ‘girlies’, and ‘tomboys’: Gender discourses, girls’ cultures and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13(2), 153-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540250120051178
-
Renold, E. (2001). Learning the ‘hard’ way: Boys, hegemonic masculinity and the negotiation of learner identities in the primary school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 22(3), 369-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690120067980
-
Renold, E. (2006). ‘They wont let us play... unless you’re going out with one of them’: Girls, boys and Butlers ‘heterosexual matrix’ in the primary years. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 27(4), 489-509. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690600803111
-
Renold, E. (2008). Queer masculinity: Re-theorising contemporary tomboyism in the schizoid space of innocent/ heterosexualized young femininities. Girlhood Studies, 1(2), 129-151. https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2008.010208
-
Rowlett, B., & King, B. W. (2017). Language Education, gender, and sexuality. In T. L. McCarty & S. May (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of language and education: Language policy and political issues in education (pp. 85-97). Springer International Publishing.
-
Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.
-
Selvi, A. F., & Kocaman, C. (2020). (Mis-/under-)representations of gender and sexuality in locally-produced ELT materials. Journal of Language, Identity & Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2020.1726757
-
Skelton, C. (1997). Primary Boys and Hegemonic Masculinities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18(3), 349-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142569970180303
-
Smith, J. (2007). ‘Ye’ve got to ‘ave balls to play this game sir!’ Boys, peers and fears: The negative influence of school-based ‘cultural accomplices’ in constructing hegemonic masculinities. Gender and Education, 19(2), 179-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540250601165995
-
Spradley, J. P. (1980). Participant observation. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
-
Sunderland, J. (2004). Gendered discourses. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Swain, J. (2003). How young schoolboys become somebody: The role of the body in the construction of masculinity. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24(3), 299-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690301890
-
Swain, J. (2025). Negotiating gender identities in primary school: Children’s lives with their peers. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Tutar, J. A. (2008). A comparative study of gender representation in English teaching coursebooks in the 1970s and the 2000s (Thesis No. 231413) [Master’s thesis, Hacettepe University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=UPP_Zu9isEmWGFXFCBYasVeezzK-bJUCDt4xr5JUNGsndxeJCYP5vQb4DnyEgvIv
-
Walkerdine, V. (1990). Schoolgirl fictions. Verso.
-
Warrington, M., & Younger, M. (2011). ‘Life is a tightrope’: Reflections on peer group inclusion and exclusion amongst adolescent girls and boys. Gender and Education, 23(2), 153-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540251003674121
-
Willis, P. (1977). Learning to labour: How working class kids get working class jobs. Saxon House.
Constructing Gender Identities in Peer Groups in an EFL Classroom
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 58 Sayı: 3, 1345 - 1398, 15.12.2025
Asuman Fulya Soğuksu
,
Fatma Bıkmaz
Öz
This study examines how girls and boys construct gender identities within peer groups in the context of English learning experiences in an EFL classroom. Drawing on a critical ethnographic approach, the research was conducted with 34 tenth-grade students and their English teacher at a public high school. Ethnographic data were generated through participant observation and interviews. The data analysis, informed by Foucault's concept of “games of truth,” reveals the multiple constructions of gender within friendship groups, how class mediates gendered norms, intergroup power relations, and the dominant masculinity performed by the popular boys. The findings also show that alternative gender performances are marginalized and that disciplinary gender norms are reproduced in the classroom. Additionally, the study demonstrates that, for certain students, immunity from regulatory mechanisms and inclusion in group dynamics without exclusion are possible. These findings have implications for English language learning processes, as well as for future research.
Etik Beyan
This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Ankara University. All ethical principles were observed throughout the research process, and informed consent was obtained from participants based on their voluntary participation.
Destekleyen Kurum
Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Unit
Proje Numarası
16L0630002
Teşekkür
We are grateful to all participants for their willingness to take part and share their experiences, which made this study possible.
Kaynakça
-
Arıkan, A. (2005). Age, gender and social class in ELT coursebooks: A critical study. Hacettepe University Journal of Educational Sciences, 28, 29-38. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/hunefd/issue/7808/102417
-
Aslan, O. (2009). The role of gender and language learning strategies in learning English (Thesis No. 250767) [Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=NtBAevXNhYaNqJFoAcdBdtjbqqS9TsxUKnZiQ0JctRk5tqln1smvdVolQ5M7jcns
-
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
Cameron, D. (2005). Language, gender and sexuality: Current issues and new directions. Applied Linguistics, 26(4), 482-502. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami027
-
Cameron, D. (2010). Sex/Gender, Language and the New Biologism. Applied Linguistics, 31(2), 173-192. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amp022
-
Carspecken, P. F. (1996). Critical ethnography in educational research: A theoretical and practical guide. Routledge.
-
Connell, R. W. (1989). Cool guys, swots and wimps: The interplay of masculinity and education. Oxford Review of Education, 15(3), 291-301. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1050420
-
Connell, R.W. (2005). Masculinities (2nd ed.). Routledge.
-
Delamont, S. (2007). Ethnography and participant observation. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 205-217). Sage.
-
Egemen, F. (2017). Gender representations in the EFL course book Yes You Can A2.1 (Thesis No. 454390) [Master’s thesis, Çukurova University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=DPTyuy3wRPq_qvCPSqUB673c6LA-7dcpZDbI30t1qV6_tiahFMGgdsWI0vZwi64d
-
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
-
Goldstein, T. (1997). Language research methods and critical pedagogy. In N. H. Hornberger & D. Corson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of language and Education, Volume 8 (pp. 67-77). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
-
Heller, M. (2001). Gender and public space in a bilingual school. In A. Pavlenko, A. Blackledge, I. Piller, & M. Teutsch-Dwyer (Eds.), Multilingualism, Second Language Learning, and Gender (pp. 257-282). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
-
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
-
Johannessen, E. M. V. (2021). Blurred lines: The ambiguity of disparaging humour and slurs in Norwegian high school boys’ friendship groups. Young, 29(5), 475-489. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088211006924
-
Julé, A. (2004). Gender, participation and silence in the language classroom: Sh- shushing the girls. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Kehily, M. J., & Nayak, A. (1997). ‘Lads and laughter’: Humour and the production of heterosexual hierarchies. Gender and Education, 9(1), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540259721466
-
Kenway, J., & Fitzclarence , L. (1997). Masculinity, violence and schooling: Challenging poisonous pedagogies. Gender and Education, 9(1), 117-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540259721493
-
Lather, P. (1986). Research as praxis. Harvard Educational Review, 56(3), 257-277. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.56.3.bj2h231877069482
-
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage.
-
Mac an Ghaill, M. (1994). The making of men: Masculinities, sexualities and schooling. Open University Press.
-
Mahony, P. (1985). Schools for the boys? Co-education reassessed. Hutchinson.
-
Martino, W. (1999). ‘Cool boys’, ‘party animals’, ‘squids’ and ‘poofters’: Interrogating the dynamics and politics of adolescent masculinities in school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425699995434
-
Martino, W. (2000). Policing masculinities: Investigating the role of homophobia and heteronormativity in the lives of adolescent school boys. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 8(2), 213-236. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.0802.213
-
Menzies, F. G., & Santoro, N. (2017). ‘Doing’ gender in a rural Scottish secondary school: An ethnographic study of classroom interactions. Ethnography and Education, 13(4): 428-441. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457823.2017.1351386
-
Norton, B., & Pavlenko, A. (2004). Gender and English language learners: Challenges and possibilities. In B. Norton & A. Pavlenko (Eds.), Gender and English language learners (pp. 1-14). TESOL.
-
Odenbring, Y., & Johansson, T. (2021). Just a joke? The thin line between teasing, harassment and violence among teenage boys in lower secondary school. Journal of Men’s Studies, 29(2), 177-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1060826520934771
-
Öztürk, G., & Gürbüz, N. (2013). The impact of gender on foreign language speaking anxiety and motivation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 654-665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.106
-
Pavlenko, A., & Piller, I. (2008). Language education and gender. In S. May & N. H. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education vol. 1: Language policy and political issues in education (pp. 57-69). Springer.
-
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative research and evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage.
-
Paechter, C., & Clark, S. (2007). Learning gender in primary school playgrounds: Findings from the Tomboy identities study. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 15(3), 317-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360701602224
-
Peltola, M., & Phoenix, A. (2022). Nuancing young masculinities: Helsinki boys’ intersectional relationships in new times. Helsinki University Press.
-
Pennycook, A. (2021). Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Routledge.
-
Pennycook, A. (2022). Critical applied linguistics in the 2020s. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 19(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2022.2030232
-
Punj, G., & Steward, D. W. (1983). Cluster analysis in marketing research: Review and suggestions for application. Journal of Marketing Research, 20(2), 134-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378302000204
-
Reay, D. (2001). ‘Spice girls’, ‘nice girls’, ‘girlies’, and ‘tomboys’: Gender discourses, girls’ cultures and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13(2), 153-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540250120051178
-
Renold, E. (2001). Learning the ‘hard’ way: Boys, hegemonic masculinity and the negotiation of learner identities in the primary school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 22(3), 369-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690120067980
-
Renold, E. (2006). ‘They wont let us play... unless you’re going out with one of them’: Girls, boys and Butlers ‘heterosexual matrix’ in the primary years. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 27(4), 489-509. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690600803111
-
Renold, E. (2008). Queer masculinity: Re-theorising contemporary tomboyism in the schizoid space of innocent/ heterosexualized young femininities. Girlhood Studies, 1(2), 129-151. https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2008.010208
-
Rowlett, B., & King, B. W. (2017). Language Education, gender, and sexuality. In T. L. McCarty & S. May (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of language and education: Language policy and political issues in education (pp. 85-97). Springer International Publishing.
-
Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.
-
Selvi, A. F., & Kocaman, C. (2020). (Mis-/under-)representations of gender and sexuality in locally-produced ELT materials. Journal of Language, Identity & Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2020.1726757
-
Skelton, C. (1997). Primary Boys and Hegemonic Masculinities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18(3), 349-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142569970180303
-
Smith, J. (2007). ‘Ye’ve got to ‘ave balls to play this game sir!’ Boys, peers and fears: The negative influence of school-based ‘cultural accomplices’ in constructing hegemonic masculinities. Gender and Education, 19(2), 179-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540250601165995
-
Spradley, J. P. (1980). Participant observation. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
-
Sunderland, J. (2004). Gendered discourses. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Swain, J. (2003). How young schoolboys become somebody: The role of the body in the construction of masculinity. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24(3), 299-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690301890
-
Swain, J. (2025). Negotiating gender identities in primary school: Children’s lives with their peers. Palgrave Macmillan.
-
Tutar, J. A. (2008). A comparative study of gender representation in English teaching coursebooks in the 1970s and the 2000s (Thesis No. 231413) [Master’s thesis, Hacettepe University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=UPP_Zu9isEmWGFXFCBYasVeezzK-bJUCDt4xr5JUNGsndxeJCYP5vQb4DnyEgvIv
-
Walkerdine, V. (1990). Schoolgirl fictions. Verso.
-
Warrington, M., & Younger, M. (2011). ‘Life is a tightrope’: Reflections on peer group inclusion and exclusion amongst adolescent girls and boys. Gender and Education, 23(2), 153-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540251003674121
-
Willis, P. (1977). Learning to labour: How working class kids get working class jobs. Saxon House.