LANGUAGE AND GENDER IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

The impact of Gender in EFL classroom has always been an issue of discussion. With the difference of social and cultural background, the role of gender differs from nation to nation. In Bangladesh, gender role is defined based on social, cultural, and traditional beliefs. This study is an attempt to find out whether genders of learners as well as genders of teachers create barriers in EFL learning in Bangladesh. In the study a number of 198 students responded to the questionnaires prepared for a survey to find out the impact of gender of students and teachers in EFL classroom. Adding to this, 20 students and 9 teachers from a university further illustrated this issue by participating in semi-structured open ended interviews. The findings of this mixed method study reveal that the socio-culturally defined gender role of male and female in the society impacts inside English as a foreign language class in Bangladesh. Self-efficacy of teachers and learners may help address the issue. In this regard, emphasis may be put on teacher self-efficacy to raise awareness among the teachers and learner self-efficacy to help learners to consciously avoid gender discrimination in classroom at the tertiary level.

The investigator has taken an attempt to assess the impact of gender in language education of secondary school students. Descriptive survey method has been used for assessing the views of the secondary school students. A sample of 100 secondary school students consisting of 50 boys and 50 girls from class IX has been taken through random sampling method from Sheosagar Block of Rohtas district of Bihar. The investigator used self-made questionnaire and have administered over the secondary school students. The collected data have been analyzed and interpreted by utilizing the statistical techniques like mean and percentage. The findings of the study reveal from the views of the secondary school students that gender in language education brings impact not only in understanding the course content but also in expanding their knowledge in various fields of their life and facing the challenges in it.

EduLite: Journal of English Education, Literature and Culture, 2018

This paper mainly investigates the differences between men and women in using language especially the students� conversation at STAIN Kudus. These differences were viewed from the aspects of vocabulary, attitudes, syntax and non-verbal differences. This research belongs to a qualitative research. Data were collected through transcripts of a video documentation played by the students of Sharia Department at STAIN Kudus. The findings showed that male and female students have shown differences in their form, content, and use. Men tend to be more directive. Besides, they used more simple words. On the other hand, women were more expressive and polite in using language. In addition, they used more gestures and words signifying feeling, emotional and psychological state.

… and English language …, 2004

2013

Gender and language education studies have multiplied in the past one decade. However, it does not appear that any state-of-the-art article has reviewed the various undertakings. This paper attempts to fill this gap by focusing on gender representation in learning materials and classroom interaction studies globally within gender and education literature. Selected studies from the 70s to date are reviewed under three phases and suggestions for further investigation are made with the anticipation that learning materials and classroom interaction studies would help facilitate the achievement of the goal of gender equality in and through education. Index Terms-language education, gender, research, review I. INTRODUCTION Since Holmes's (1991) and Sunderland's (2000) state of the art articles on gender and language studies, it appears that no similar undertaking (nor a follow-up art icle) has been published till date, at least to cover the gap. In this present review, I plan to fill this gap by focusing on a narrower area of gender and language education studies, that is, gender in learning materials and classroom interactions research. Holmes and Sunderland among others provide state of the art art icles on gender and language studies up to the latter part of t wentieth century. While Holmes (1991) provides a b road view of gender and language s tudies, Sunderland's dwells on specific areas and reviews studies within the wider area that Holmes (1991) addresses. Thus while Holmes dwells on language and gender and lists many references, Sunderland (2000), starting fro m the previous works, narro ws her review to language and gender in second and foreign language education highlighting on areas such as-gender and language learning; gender, language learning and ability,; second/foreign language acquisition and the four skills; motivation/investment; language learning styles and strategies; classroom interaction; the 'what' o f teaching: English as a non-sexist language?; teaching materials; language testing; teachers, professional organisations and gender, what can teachers do? teacher action and teacher education; new theorisations of language and gender; language learners' identities; masculin ities: boys, men and language learning; and future research. Interestingly, one of the areas that Sunderland reviews in her article-gender and education has attracted so many studies that any exhaustive review of studies in the area might yield volu mes and might triple what Sunderland (2000) did. Thus, in this present review, I shall focus on gender representation in learning materials and classroom interactions across languages which parallel Sunderland's (2000) "the what of teaching: English as a non-sexist language''. Sunderland's (2000) state of the art article particularly addresses gender and language education covering large areas (though she notes that it is not comprehensive comparing what had been done in the area with the coverage of her article). However, it might be near impossible to attempt another of its kind today after a decade since the review was published in Language Education in 2000. Yet as Sunderland rightly observes, her review is quite selective and restrictive to second and foreign language education although in passing she lists some works on first languages (e.g. German, French, and Spanish). In this present review, I shall extend my co verage to include studies in first languages such as German, French among others. Thus my review covers some first languages but shall be restricted to one area out of the many areas that Sunderland (2000) addresses and shall include studies from the 70s t o the present. Although there are studies in the social sciences that have addressed gender in education, I shall concern myself with those that are domiciled in language studies. This restriction is necessary because of the fast growing number of research being done on the subject matter in response to recurrent calls fro m and funding by government agencies, international organisations (UN, World Ban k, Co mmonwealth o f Nations among others) and other non-governmental organisations. II. BACKGROUND Studies in this area (with in gender difference and identity paradig ms) have mult iplied and are still growing for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is that government bodies in Europe, A merica, and Asia and in some developing countries including some international organisations have picked interest in the area. This interest is in response to United Nations declarations under its hu man rights programmes that are geared towards bringing about gender equality

2019

FAJAR AKBAR. 2019. The Effects of Gender Roles in the Use of Languages by Teachers at EFL Classroom (Supervised by Murni Mahmud and Kisman Salija). This research aims to find out: (1) concept of gender roles perceived by teachers, (2) characteristics of language used by teachers to communicate which are influenced by gender roles, and (3) teachers’s perception about gender roles affecting their communication styles in the EFL Classroom. This study applied qualitative research design. The participants of this research were two male teachers of SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Makassar and two female teachers of SMP Muhammadiyah 6 Makassar. The data of this research were collected by employing audio recording, observation checklist and interview guide. The obtained data was analyzed in three major phases namely data reduction, data display, and draw conclusion. The first result in this research is about concepts of gender roles perceived by teacher. There are three concepts of gender roles that res...

Asian Journal of Social Science Studies, 2020

The present study aims at exploring the extent of linguistic varieties which are issues of gender disparity in our society. Language is the most advanced form of communication possessed only by human beings. Linguistic elements direct our expressions, feelings and thoughts, and languages even help us transmit knowledge, ideas and beliefs from one generation to another. In fact, language is systematic as it follows rules. However, it is believed that men and women have a strong natural tendency to use different patterns of a language. Relationship between language and gender attracted many researchers' attention, but some critics of mid-twentieth century considered such studies to be purely feministic. With the passage of time, our social structure met considerable changes which influenced our languages. The objective of this project is to give reasonable answers to the questions regarding the gender based speech differences in today's world. Survey method was applied in order to maintain high standards of research ethics and maintain the research quality. This study engages 384 respondents; among them 51% were male and 49% were female. According to the survey data, 68% of the participants reported that women always tend to use exaggerated expressions and words that can assist in building rapport. Further, it finds out whether there is any difference between speech patterns of different age groups coming from the same gender. By delving into both historic and contemporary documents, this experiment will lead us to widen the scope of research on various ways of communication.

Linguistics, 2022

The focus of this research is a sociolinguistic examination of the impact of gender on language use. The primary goal of this research is to analyze the implications of men's and women's roles on their language usage. This research aims to highlight the variables that contribute to disparities in how gender impacts language use. This study's inquiry method is a questionnaire and audio-recoding. This study has shown differences in how men and women use language in our society and others like it. They use only some of the same forms; instead, they use different quantities or frequencies of the same form. In a society where gender plays a significant role, language is essential in contributing to that role. Gender roles, men's and women's identities, the hierarchical nature of gender relations, and men's dominance are all factors that contribute to differences in language use. Gender differentiation does not exist in a vacuum; it interacts with other types of social differentiation in a complex way. Language and gender, on the other hand, are formed through participation in everyday social activities. In conclusion, gender and language are inextricably linked.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023

Schools are regarded as the main socializing institutions. The language that the instructor uses has an impact on the pupils' overall personalities and self-perceptions. As a result, students' academic performance is jeopardized. This study focuses on the teachers' talk within classroom discourse and its effect on students' perceptions of themselves in Pakistani context. For this, 8 university students from social sciences were interviewed and 4 teachers were observed by classroom ethnography. During the study, data were gathered by audio-recording interviews and by observing student-teacher interactions in the classroom. By developing themes in thematic analysis and deductive coding, the findings from the qualitative method were acquired. The findings indicated that both male and female students feel excluded in the class because of the teachers' use of gendered language. They consequently take part in the class less, which negatively impacts their academic performance. The study also found that when teachers use sexist language in the classroom, it alters students' self-perceptions, which has an impact on them psychologically as well as academically and professionally. The promotion of gender norms as the reality of daily life by teachers' gender prejudices not only prevented pupils from succeeding academically but also made them oblivious to gender issues.

Exploring Students' Linguistic Behavior in Islamic Azad University of Zanjan: A Gender Study, 2016

Not only are women physically and emotionally different from men, but they also display a different linguistic behavior. These differences seem to be natural; however, they are significant in terms of applied linguistics in general and sociolinguistics in particular. The fact that how men and women behave and express themselves in different same-sex or different-sex situations such as at home, office, university, and so on is of great significance to sociolinguists. In order to figure out the differences of linguistic behaviors between men and women, a study in Islamic Azad University of Zanjan was conducted. 10 students were asked to take part in a conversation about 'the quality of the food served in University canteen". Three groups were formed: only-male group, only-female group, and mixed group containing both sexes. They were told that the conversations were going to be tape-recorded. The conversations were recorded and transcribed. Some results were in line with the theories in vogue in sociolinguistics and some were quite opposite. Significant differences among the women and men styles of speech were observed. First, the frequency of occurrence of fillers among both men and women was erratic in different situations (in both same-sex and different-sex situations). Second, turn-takings were observed more among men. Third, the gendered-speech was based on social norms and clichés, and we could communicate efficiently with the opposite sex only when we are aware of each other's styles of speech.

Sexuality & Culture

This introduction to the special issue provides a snapshot of why gender in our lives and in language education matters. We also summarize each of the articles featured in this special issue. Inspired by the growing body of research into gender and language education across the globe, directions for future studies in this area are also highlighted. We contend that any educational practices and artifacts are ideologically and institutionally gender-laden. We hope that this special issue can be the point of departure for exploring more gender issues at different levels of language education (e.g., schools, universities, and virtually-mediated education spaces) in the pursuit of gender responsiveness.

JINoP (Jurnal Inovasi Pembelajaran)

Gender difference can be assumed as an individual difference generally existing and catching attention in the foreign language teaching and learning.This research aims at finding out the strategies used by the students in learning English and students’ perspective on the learning strategies based on their gender. The data are gathered through questionnaires and interview which are given to the students of English Language Education Department. This study discovered that male and female students differ in the learning strategy, and the female students score higher in the use of learning strategy than the males. Metacognitive and social learning strategy were highly used by female students. On the other hand, male students score compensation, metacognitive and cognitive learning strategy as their attempts to learn English. The result also found that females use all the strategies more often than males particularly on metacognitive strategy. Moreover, there are differences in the use o...

Language is one of the strongest medium to represent gender ideas. The present study examined what sort of gender images were portrayed in the language of English textbooks produced by Punjab Textbook Board in Pakistan for elementary level. The study exclusively aimed at analyzing gender ideas in following four areas of language at words level: generic constructions, paired noun/ pronoun, adjectives and semantic roles. Using a mixture of quantitatively and qualitatively approaches; data was collected, tabulated (wherever possible) and analyzed. The findings of this study quite clearly revealed that language used in these texts was not free of gender biased ideas. All areas of language selected for this study, especially adjectives and semantic roles, represented males with typically accepted gender colours. Consequently, this study recommended that textbooks being used in Pakistani schools at all levels should be re-evaluated and revised for gender ideas manipulated through language with a strong vision to accomplish gender parity in education.

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 2011

In this review study, the differences between women and men in language learning and acqusition process are examined from different perspectives as sex-based or gender-based theoretically. Basic definitions related to gender and sex in literature review have been presented and discussed by dealing with the findings of various researches. Afterwards, the studies carried out on sex-based differences have been investigated to explain why males and females think and learn differently. On this direction it is discussed how sex-role sterotyping and gender bias begin and develop. In addition, it is mentioned the relationship between language and gender. Finally in this study the effects of sex and gender on first language acquisition and second language acquisiton are defined.

Language and Gender - Linguistic Analysis of Intermediate English Textbooks in Pakistan

This study aims at analyzing the four English language textbooks of intermediate classes in Pakistan. The textbooks are the approved course of Intermediate classes by Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Islamabad [FBISE], Pakistan and all the educational boards of the Punjab, Pakistan. The starting point of the study is that gender equality and gender equity are among the major concerns of the world today. This concern about gender equality has also been reiterated in the Pakistan Education Sectors Reforms 2001-2005, and National Plan of Action concerning Education for All [EFA] 2001-2015. But the current practices in education sector in Pakistan do not speak for it. The study has been conducted by employing feminist perspective on the textbooks. The analysis uses the qualitative approach of Kabira & Masinjila (1997) framework of gender analysis. This model looks at the textbooks by raising a series of questions that expose the gender responsiveness of a text. This paper uses only one aspect named “language use” of the model to analyse the gender related language of the textbooks. The results of the study show that in most of the textbook items language regarding gender issues is stereotypical and does not represent the present world realities. The study concludes that female gender has been demeaned and marginalized through the negative stereotyping of the language whereas male gender has been uplifted in the textbooks. Thus, the textbooks offer only the realities of the past which cannot be acceptable to females in the present world. Moreover, such type of biased use of language may impart negative impact on the minds of the students who study these textbooks on daily basis. Therefore, the study recommends that textbooks should be reviewed, and instead of gender biased and gender blind use of language in the textbooks, gendered balanced and gender aware language should be used in the English language textbooks