Content Details | NUML Online Research Repository

Title GENDER PORTRAYAL IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS AND TEACHER-LEARNER PERCEPTIONS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Author(s) Tariq Mahmood

Abstract ABSTRACT Thesis Title: Gender Portrayal in English Textbooks and Teacher-Learner Perceptions: An Analytical Study at Undergraduate Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The process of gendering for children starts at home as it is performed around them and gender norms are reinforced by the respective culture and society. Education can play a significant role in instilling equitable gender ideals in learners. But it has been found that textbooks often strengthen and perpetuate gender stereotypes. It is in this context that the current study is undertaken to first investigate gender portrayal in English textbooks at undergraduate level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and then to analyze the gender perceptions of the concerned teachers and learners. A mixed-method approach has been used in the present study to collect and analyze data. Questionnaires and focus-group discussions were used to collect data from learners and teachers. The results demonstrated that the textbooks portray male dominance in all the examined categories of sexism. As there are more male than female characters in general, male main, supporting and minor characters outnumber females as well. Females are assigned very limited ‘low status’ occupations in comparison to a variety of ‘high status’ occupations for males. While the male gender is often mentioned first and female mentioned second, generic-masculine expressions are not general but malereferenced. Similarly, females are stereotyped through the use of nouns and adjectives. The titles and contents of units in the textbooks are male-centered as well. The analysis of teachers and learners’ perceptions further validated these results. The teachers believed that due to lack of gender-specific training, they hardly pay any attention to gender in the classroom setting. As the urban participants demonstrated relatively less traditional gender perceptions, the participants from rural background had more biased perceptions. The female participants, however portrayed increased awareness of discrimination against women. The study recommended the involvement of many stakeholders such as curriculum designers, teachers and parents to address the issue of biased gender portrayal.

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2021-12-10

Subject English Linguistics

Publisher

Contributor(s)

Format

Identifier

Source

Relation

Coverage

Rights