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SECTION 7.
GENDER ROLES IN STEM
7-BÓLIM.
STEMDE GENDER TEŃLIGI
THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER STEREOTYPES IN ENGLISH
LANGUAGE TEACHING MATERIALS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL LEARNERS
IN UZBEKISTAN
Allaniyazova J.
Nukus, Uzbekistan
MA-TESL, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
Annotation.
The current study examines the representation of gender stereotype in
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks, namely Guess What, for elementary
school pupils produced in Uzbekistan. The research aims to ascertain how gender is
represented and what kinds of stereotypes expressions are used in the Guess What series
by focusing on four areas; Adult Social Role Beliefs, Domestic Role Beliefs, Educational
Role Beliefs, and Professional Role Beliefs concerning school type variables. The method
used in this research was descriptive qualitative method. Language is not perceived only
orally or in written forms, but through visual language too, such as pictures on posters,
images in books, magazines. They are ubiquitous in modern life and are of great
importance to get the message, as they convey and represent particular meaning
(Fairclough, 2013). English language teaching materials, which are one of the main
sources of target language and culture input, have a great impact in the formation of
pragmatic competence and the development of relational identity.
Key words:
Gender, gender stereotype, English teaching materials, gender equality,
elementary school pupils.
Gender is the psychological, cultural and social differences between men and
women in a particular society. If the biological sex of a child is formed at the embryo
stage, then gender is formed in the process of upbringing. Psychologists believe that a
child begins to become aware of his gender at the age of 3-4 years, and by the age of 7,
ideas become stable. In turn, gender education means raising a child in accordance with
the ideas about the roles of men and women accepted in a particular society. Gender
attitudes are embedded in the family: boys associate themselves with their father, and
girls - with their mother. The objectives of gender education are to help children realize
that they are male or female, adapt to society and start playing by its rules. There is
nothing wrong with the gender approach in upbringing - society is really divided into
men and women, and in order to fully integrate, you need to take one of the roles. But the
peculiarity of gender education lies in frequent stereotypes that have a detrimental effect
on children.
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The gender representations in English Language Teaching (ELT) materials have
been the subject of inquire in research studies because not only learners but also teachers
are exposed to the ideological content, gender-biased representations, and stereotypical
features of these materials. Undoubtedly, these stereotypical features inevitably have an
effect on both learners’ and teachers’ values, behaviours, world-views, and mindsets.
Learners are exposed to such contents through the topics, pictures, example sentences,
reading passages, discussion questions, and many activities included in the books
(Arıkan, 2005). More specifically, the content of the coursebooks “will always
communicate at least some attitudes, ideas, beliefs or values related to concepts, at the
macro level, such as individualism, egalitarianism, universalism and so forth” (Hurst,
2014, p. 55). These values may lead to stereotypical thinking among students towards
society and cause deteriorations in “hatred, intolerance, or belittling of others, resulting in
the erosion in societal peace and solidarity” (Arıkan, 2005, p. 8). The existence of gender
bias and sexist language in instructional materials has been proved to influence learners
negatively. According to Thomas (2004), sexist language “represents women and men
unequally, as if members of one sex were somehow less completely human, less
complex, and had fewer rights than members of the other sex” (p. 76).
The emergence of gender studies on the territory of Uzbekistan usually dates back
to the end of the 20
th
century. It was during this period that the term gender appeared in
scientific literature, and foreign theoretical works on gender issues became available to
the domestic reader. Linguistics did not ignore the problem of gender, but considered it
(even before the appearance of the term gender) within the framework of other linguistic
disciplines. These studies were not systemic, did not claim the status of a scientific
direction and were not associated with the theory of social constructivism, but scientists
contributed to the development of a problem that was later embraced by gender studies.
Theoretical Background of Gender and gender stereotypes. Differences
between men and women in class.
To begin with the terminology used to name the difference between men and
women has been either called sex or gender. These two terms have been clearly
differentiated by such authors as Coates (1993) and Cameron (2006). Coates (1993)
postulated that whereas sex refers to a biological distinction, gender is employed to
describe socially constructed categories based on sex. In a relatively similar vein,
Cameron (2006) indicated that sex is employed in connection with the biological
characteristics that mark humans and other animals as either male or female, but gender
refers to the cultural traits and behaviors considered appropriate for men and women by a
particular society. Historically, as Sadiqi (2003) asserted, gender was first employed in
linguistics and other areas of social sciences. Gender indeed is a social construct, and it is
through the concepts of gender which society transforms female and male human beings
into social women and men and assigns them roles and gives them cultural values
(Bonvillain, 2000).
Other studies that examined the use of hedges in written discourse from English
for academic purposes scholars include Crompton (1997, 1998), Hyland (1996, 1998,
1998a, 2000), Kreutz and Harres (1997), Markkanen and Schröder (1997), Salager-
Meyer (1994), Varttala (1999), and Vassileva (1997). Whereas gender differences in the
use of language have been researched in various social contexts, gender differences have
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also been particularly looked at in the classroom. Swann (1992) presented some major
findings in research on gender differentiation in the classroom.
While there are quiet pupils of both sexes, the more outspoken pupils tend to be
boys.
Boys also tend to ‘stand out’ more than girls
Boys generally tend to be more assertive than girls. For instance, a US study of
whole class talk (Sadker and Sadker, 1985) found boys were eight times more likely than
girls to call out.
Girls and boys tend to sit separately; in group work, pupils usually elect to work in
single-sex rather than mixed-sex groups.
When they have the choice, girls and boys often discuss or write about gender-
typed topics. Boys are often openly disparaging towards girls.
In practical subjects, such as science, boys hog the resources.
In practical subjects, girls ‘fetch and carry’ for boys, doing much of the cleaning
up, and collecting books and so on.
Boys occupy, and are allowed to occupy, more space, both in class and outside-for
example, in play areas.
Teachers often make distinctions between girls and boys - for disciplinary or
administrative reasons or to motivate pupils to do things.
Teachers give more attention to boys than to girls.
Topics and materials for discussion are often chosen to maintain boys’ interests.
Teachers tend not to perceive disparities between the numbers of contributions
from girls and boys. (Sadker and Sadker (1985) showed US teachers a video of a
classroom talk in which boys made three times as many contributions as girls-but
teachers believed the girls had talked more.
Teachers accept certain behavior (such as calling out) from boys but not from
girls.
Female teachers may themselves be subject to harassment from male pupils.
‘Disaffected’ girls tend to opt out quietly at the back of the class, whereas
disaffected boys make trouble (pp.51-52).
“Every human being is born with a sex and into a gender, which is a formation of
roles molded by society and culture” (Söylemez, 2010, p. 751). Biological sex is formed
by genetic and anatomical features, whereas gender is an acquired identity that is learned
(Yılmaz, 2012). Gender identity is under everlasting construction with the influence of
the factors such as family, school, media, and language we are exposed to (Aydınoğlu,
2014). Throughout the socialization process in society and culture, gender roles assigned
to men and women by society form the basis of the development of gender identity.
Some of the psychological theories of gender identity development and gender roles are
evolutionary theory (Buss, 1995; Shields, 1975), object relations theory (Chodorow,
1989), gender schema theory (Bem, 1981) and social role theory (Eagly, 1987).
According to evolutionary theories, gender identity development is related to the genetic
differences between men and women. According to functionalists like Shields (1975), the
function of women is different from and complementary to the function of men. To fulfil
these different and complementary functions which are necessary for their survival, men
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and women have evolved differently. As for sociobiologists (e.g., Buss, 1995), different
sexual and reproductive strategies lead to behavioural differences among genders. this
scientific sexism gives the socially determined subservient and domesticated roles to
women (Bohan,1992).
Impact of the concept of Gender in Uzbekistan
Works by S.Safarov and S.Boymirzayeva on «Gender linguistics and text study»,
M.Rasulova on «Expression of gender in different languages», Kh.Dadaboev on «Female
seme lexemes in the Rabguzi stories», «The expression of male category in early Turkic
language, E.Fayzullaeva on «Delopmental stages of the gender studies in linguistics»
became one of the first threshold for gender investigations in Uzbekistan.
Although there is some research on the concept of gender in the pure Uzbek
language, they are few. Examples include the ways in which gender is expressed in
Uzbek, and the description of gender in the Uzbek names. A.A.Morozova’s dissertation
on «Linguocognitive structure of gender stereotypes of masculinity and femininity based
on Spanish», G.Tleumuratov’s work on «Category of gender in the derivative system of
the English nouns in history of English», M. Tukhtasinov’s thesis on «The linguocultural
and Gender Peculiarities of compounding in fictions of the English and Uzbek
languages», N.Z.Nasrullaeva’s thesis on «The gender Concept in Semantics of the
English Phraseological Units» 28 , her doctoral dissertation on «Formation of the Gender
Concepts in the Global View of the English and Uzbek Phraseology» are considered to
be pure research works on lingvogenderology. But G.Ergasheva’s thesis on «The
linguistic and Extralinguistic Factors in Formation of the Universe» based on analysis of
the gender discourse terms.
During the years of independence, much research has been carried out on the
comprehensive study and characterization of all the language levels and their units. Some
progress has been made in identifying the grammatical structure of language, specific
nature of the Uzbek language, and in particular definition of the notional gender category.
The Strategy of Action for the five priority areas for developing the Republic of
Uzbekistan for 2017-2021 years much emphasis is given to «...improving education
system, enhancing opportunities for quality of education services». In this regard, it is
important to clarify the linguistic status and verbal/nonverbal phenomena of gender ‒
specific language means in English and Uzbek based on the new methodological
principles and contemporary criteria. The attention to this issue is already detected in
many decrees and resolutions being adopted at the state level as an example of consistent
large-scale reforms.
Gender roles in English language textbooks
It is commonly accepted that gender is a biological phenomenon. However, many
would argue the cultural paradigm of the concept. Gender is culturally constructed
(Butler, 1988, Sunderland 2006), so do gender roles, identities, different feminine, and
masculine characteristics which are assigned to genders conventionally. Butler (1988)
asserts that «gender reality is performative, which means, […] it is performed” (p. 530).
It means that masculinity and femininity do not pre-exist in society, but rather a society
itself constructs gender identities, gender roles, the way these genders speak, and the way
they have to behave to be a proper male or female. The assigned roles to different
genders result in different gender “performances,» “enactments,» and “displays” of
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genders. This gendered performativity is enacted by social and linguistic practices
(Holmes and Meyerhoff, 2003; Sunderland, 2006).
Since the 1970s, how gender is represented in coursebooks has been examined by
many scholars in Western countries (Cincotta, 1970; Hartman & Judd, 1978; Helinger,
1980, as cited in Sivaslıgil, 2006). The findings of studies show that women and men are
presented in traditional roles (Sivaslıgil, 2006).
Primary school education in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan primary school children have an age range from 7 to 10 years old,
which coincides with the stage of ‘gender consistency. Along with this consistency
comes the more flexible attitude in cognition about the attributes of other people.
Children start to rely more on input data about people’s personalities to make prediction
about them rather than relying merely on knowledge about their sex. This phase can be
seen as a chance to introduce non-stereotyped female and male images as well as
unconventional behaviours. According to Zemore, Fiske and Kim (2000), early
intervention in the development of gender stereotypes can save effort in reducing their
negative impacts later in life of children. Therefore, it is advisable to start action when
children are young.
After gaining independence in 1991, a post-soviet Uzbekistan experienced
hardship in many domains of life, including but not limited to social, economic, political,
and educational because of the slow postcommunist transition (Kangas, 2002). After the
fall of the Soviet Union, the onset of the de-russification policy paved the way for the
increased attention to the English language (Smagulova & Ahn, 2016). The English
instructions of 1990s were based on grammar translation and audiolingual methods and
they would not start until middle school, specifically at Grade 5. The textbooks used for
English classes were primarily produced in Russia and taught at Uzbek schools
(Hasanova, 2007, 2016; Hasanova & Shadieva, 2008). There was a dire shortage of
teaching materials, textbooks, workbooks, teaching manuals, educational tools, and
audio-visual resources in all subject classrooms including English classrooms. Due to the
pressing need, the country could no longer borrow textbooks from its former oppressor.
Therefore, with the help of British Council, the Ministry of Education of Uzbekistan
published their first textbooks, Fly High English and English Matters, to teach English at
Grades 6-9 (Hasanova, 2007). Considering the popularity of the English language in the
globe, later, the Ministry of Education made a fundamental change in its policy, allowing
the students to learn English from elementary school at Grade 1. English language as a
school subject was added to the elementary school curriculum since 2013 following the
president’s 2012 decree (LezUZ, 2012). In EFL contexts, language teachers are given
more authority and freedom in choosing their pedagogical approaches, policies, including
textbooks (Ellis 1997; Hutchinson, 1987). However, this is not the case in the post-Soviet
country of Uzbekistan. The approved textbooks by the Ministry of Public Education must
be produced in Uzbekistan for Uzbek English learners. Due to the 2012 decree on foreign
language policy, books such as “Guess What (1,2,3,4)” designed for elementary school
has been developed and tested in 2021. “Guess What” textbooks have been in use since
then and have become the sol mandatory textbook used in the entire republic.
Conclusion
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As can be depicted from the findings, teaching materials still have stereotypical
gender messages. To be able to exclude these sexist points of views from the English
teaching textbooks, the Ministry of Education in Uzbekistan can train the textbook
writers to consider gender stereotyping, how it is presented in visual and text discourse,
how the proportion of male and female characters depicted in the coursebooks affects the
sexual stereotyping. These studies that rely on the subject of gender representations in the
textbooks can be a guideline for the training programmes.
These representations in the English course books mirror the roles tailored to both
genders in the society. The findings concur with Philips’s (2004) statement that males are
usually represented in languages tacitly as having the intellectual and physical power.
However, attaining gender equality in all levels of the modern life still remains to be one
of the targets. Therefore, it is necessary to reveal the implications of gender stereotyping
especially in educational field to be able to overcome the long maledominant gender
ideology. In foreign language learning contexts, reflecting gender equality throughout
texts and tasks should be one of the course book selection criteria for educators and
curriculum planners. It is also important for teachers to identify such implications and
neutralize them with the help of classroom instruction. Further studies should be
conducted conveying a wider range of course books and gather learners’ reflections on
gender stereotyping. Also, foreign language teachers’ opinions and suggestions should be
investigated in order to provide substantial steps toward a society where equality is
reflected in all levels
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