Author: Mei-Yan Florence Au

Publisher:

Published: 2017-01-27

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781374729568

This dissertation, "Gender in Textbook Dialogues: Textual Analyses and Classroom Practices" by Mei-yan, Florence, Au, 歐美恩, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract of thesis entitled "Gender in Textbook Dialogues: Textual Analyses and Classroom Practices" submitted by Au Mei Yan Florence for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in August 2004 The field of language and gender reflects a widespread monolingual and monocultural bias since the textbooks and edited volumes in the field rarely incorporate bi-/ multilingual and second language learning studies. On the other hand, gender studies related to teaching material and classroom research in second or foreign language education, a major topic in multilingualism, often fail to consider the specification and contexts of research. This study of teaching materials and classroom practices adopts a feminist post-structuralist approach, a more context-sensitive, multifaceted, complicated and flexible approach to examine gender issues in EFL or ESL education in the multilingual society of Hong Kong. It clarifies the relationship between gender-biased texts and students' language learning, in terms of language learning opportunities and the acquisition of gender knowledge of the language. It also contributes to the studies of language and gender by elucidating gender issues in second or foreign language classrooms in a multilingual Asian society. It recognizes the complexity of second and foreign language education, sometimes downplayed in previous studies, by placing in its proper context, the interplay between teachers, students and teaching materials in language classrooms. The study first analyses gender representation in English textbook dialogues in terms of language functions, speech amount and content, primarily focusing on married couple and parent roles. It generally shows that husband/father and wife/mother roles are portrayed in stereotypical ways. Husbands and fathers lead, give factual information, and make decisions, whereas wives and mothers are passive agents on most conversational occasions, but experts on cooking, housework, child rearing and instructing. But multiple perspectives, including both negative and positive views, can be identified towards such gender representation. The research goes beyond simple textual analysis and examines how teachers and students use such sexist dialogues in the classroom. Interviews and observations demonstrate that many teachers and students reinforced the gender biases in textbook dialogues by role-playing same sex characters in the classroom, but there are some cases in which both teachers and students are against the stereotypes and diversity can even be found in the enforcing treatments. Based on the gender biases in the textbook dialogues and teachers' and students' treatments of them, it is possible that male and female students have unequal language practices in class. Subsequently, the students may even build up misconceptions on the gendered nature of verbal behavior in English-speaking societies but notably, such impacts may be varying to students even in the same class. (438 words) DOI: 10.5353/th_b3039980 Subjects: English language - Study and teaching - Foreign speakers - China - Hong Kong Gender identity Sexism in language