Gender treatment in Grade nine classroom instructional activities and representation in English textbook

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore how gender is perceived in classroom instructional activities and how it is represented in the Grade 9 English textbook in Ethiopia. To do this, the constructivist paradigm was used as a way of viewing the educational world. Underpinned by the Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and Gender Schema Theory (GST), the study was qualitative and used a multiple case study inquiry. The selection of participants was through purposive sampling and data were collected through interviews, observations and textbook review. The study was undertaken at four government high schools, and the focus was on Grade 9 at Chacha, Minjar, DebreSina and Mekoy Districts of North Shoa Zone in Amhara Region. Sixteen learners, four teachers and four principals were interviewed. The findings concluded in two significant findings: 1) improper gender treatment in classroom instructional activities, and 2) imbalance of gender representation in Grade 9 English textbook. The first finding generated emerging themes, for instance (a) imbalanced allocation of roles and responsibilities between girls and boys; (b) girls’ embarrassment by others; (c) girls’ incapability to manage group and use given opportunity in classroom; (d) male domination and female subordination; (e) gender policy implementation gap at school; (f) impediment of girls’ participation due to patriarchal thinking; (g) challenges of traditional gender thinking in classroom; (h) parents’ practices and experiences affected learners’ practices and experiences in classroom; (i) lack of girls’ recognition by others; and (j) self-overestimation seen by boys and self-underestimation seen by girls. The themes for the second major finding include: (a) men overrepresentation and women underrepresentation; (b) presence of gender-marked vocabularies to enhance women’s passive role; (c) encouragement of traditional gender representation by assigning women in baby-sitting, and domestic chores, such as cleaning, cooking or shopping; (d) manifestation of man first-ness; and (e) imbalance of pictorial representation between women and men. The study recommends that teaching gender equality to the school community and society could be used to discourage gender stereotyped and biased engagements. Female teachers should be role models for girls. Educators should use gender-sensitive materials for the development of a gender-free awareness by the young generation.

Die doel van hierdie studie was om te ondersoek hoe gender in klaskameronderrigaktiwiteite ervaar word en hoe dit in die Graad 9 Engelse handboek in Etiopië voorgestel word. Ten einde dit te doen, is die kontruktivistiese paradigma as beskouingswyse van die opvoedkundige wêreld gebruik. Die studie was kwalitatief, onderlê deur sosiokulturele teorie en genderskemateorie, en die ondersoekmetode van veelvuldige gevallestudies is gebruik. Deelnemers is met behulp van doelbewuste steekproefneming geselekteer en data is deur middel van onderhoude, observasies en 'n handboekoorsig ingesamel. Die studie is by vier regeringshoërskole onderneem, en die fokus was op Graad 9 in die Chacha, Minjar, DebreSina en Mekoy distrikte van die Noord-Shoa sone in die Amhara streek. Onderhoude is gevoer met sestien leerders, vier onderwysers en vier skoolhoofde. Daar was twee beduidende bevindings: 1) onvanpaste genderbehandeling in klaskameronderrigaktiwiteite, en 2) 'n wanbalans in gendervoorstelling in die Graad 9 Engelse handboek. Verskillende temas het uit die eerste bevinding voortgespruit, byvoorbeeld (a) die ongebalanseerde toekenning van rolle en verantwoordelikhede tussen seuns en dogters; (b) die vernedering van dogters deur ander; (c) die onvermoë van dogters om groepe te beheer en van gegewe geleenthede in die klaskamer gebruik te maak; (d) manlike oorheersing en vroulike ondergeskiktheid; (e) 'n leemte in die implementering van genderbeleid op skool; (f) belemmering van dogters se deelname deur patriargale denke; (g) die uitdagings van tradisionele genderdenke in die klaskamer; (h) die invloed wat ouers se praktyke en ervarings op leerders se praktyke en ervarings in die klaskamer het; (i) gebrekkige erkenning van dogters deur ander; en (j) self-oorskatting onder die seuns en self-onderskatting onder die dogters. Die temas van die tweede hoofbevinding het ingesluit: (a) die óórverteenwoordiging van mans en onderverteenwoordiging van vroue; (b) die teenwoordigheid van gendergekleurde woordeskat om vroue se passiewe rol te beklemtoon; (c) die aanmoediging van tradisionele genderverteenwoordiging deur huishoudelike take soos skoonmaak, kook en inkopies doen aan vroue toe te ken; (d) die manifestering van manlike uitnemendheid/"eerste wees"; en (e) 'n wanbalans in die verteenwoordiging van vroue en mans in illustrasies. Die studie beveel aan dat die skoolgemeenskap en die gemeenskap in gendergelykheid onderrig word ten einde genderstereotipering en bevooroordeelde optredes te ontmoedig. Vroulike onderwyseres behoort 'n rolmodel vir dogters te wees. Onderwysers moet gendersensitiewe materiaal gebruik om gendervrye bewustheid onder die jong geslag te kweek

Inhloso yocwaningo bekuwukubheka ukuthi ubulili bubonwa kanjani kwimisebenzi efundiswa emakilasini, nokuthi ubulili bukhonjiswa kanjani ezincwadini zesiNgisi ezibekelwe ukufundwa ebangeni lika-Grade 9 ezweni lase Ethiopia. Kulolu cwaningo kusetshenziswe i-constructivist paradigm njengendlela yokubheka ezemfundo. Ngokulandela ithiyori yezenhlalo namasiko i-sociocultural theory (SCT) kanye nethiyori i-gender schema theory (GST), ucwaningo lube yi-qualitative research kanti kusetshenziswe nocwaningo olubheka amacala amaningi i-multiple case study inquiry. Ababambe iqhaza bakhethwe ngokusebenzisa amasampula akhethwe ngenhlososo i-purposive sampling, kanti ulwazi luqoqwe ngokukuxoxisana ama-interviews, ukubhekisisa okwenzekayo (observations) kanye nokubuyekeza izincwadi zesiNgisi ezibekelwe ukufundwa ama-textbook. Ucwaningo lwenziwe ezikoleni eziphakeme ezine zikahulumeni, kanti kwagxilwa kakhulu ebangeni lika-Grade 9 ezifundazweni zasezweni lase Ethiopia okuyi-Chacha, eMinjar, eDebreSina, kanye namaDistrikhthi aseNorth Shoa Zone kanye nasezifundazweni zase Amhara. Kuxoxiswene ngama-interviews nabafundi abayishumi nesithupha, othisha abane kanye nothishanhloko abane. Kutholakale imiphumela emibili esemqoka: 1) ukungaphathwa kahle kodaba lobulili kwimisebenzi yokufundisa emaklasini, kanye 2) nokungabekwa kahle ngokulingalingana kodaba lobulili ezincwadini zesiNgisi ezibekelwe ukufundwa kubanga lika -Grade 9. Umphumela wokuqala uveze izingqikithi (themes) ezilandelayo, isibonelo, (a) ukungabiwa kahle ngokulingana ngendlela ehlelekile kwemisebenzi ngokubulili phakathi kwamantombazane kanye nabafana; (b) ukuhlazwa kwamantombazane okwenziwa ngabanye; (c), ukungabi nekhono kwamantombazane ukuhola amaqembu kanye nokusebenzisa amathuba emaklasini; (d) ukubhozomela kwabesilisa kanye nokuzithoba kwabesifazane; (e) igebe elikhona ngokusetshenziswa kwemigomo ebhekene nezobulili ezikoleni; (f) izihibe ezivimbela amantombazane ukubamba iqhaza ngenxa yemibono ebeka ukuthi abesilisa yibona ababalulekile (patriarchal thinking); (g) izinselele ezikhona ngezinkambiso zakudala maqondana nokucabanga ngezobulili emaklasini; (h) izindlela zezinkambiso zabazali zibe nomthelela kwizindlela zokwenza kanye nezipiliyoni zabafundi emaklasini; (i) ukungamukelwa kwamantombazane ngabanye; kanye (j) nokuzibeka phambili kakhulu kwabafana kanye nokuzibeka ezingeni eliphansi kwamantombazane. Izingqikithi (themes) zomphumela wesibili zibandakanya okulandelayo (a) ukumelwa kakhulu ngokweqile kwabesilisa kanye nezinga eliphansi lokumelwa kwabesifazane; (b) ubukhona besilulumagama i-vocabulary ephawula ngobulili nephakamisa nokungadlali ndima kwabesimame; (c) ukukhuthazwa kwezinkambiso zakudala zokumelwa kobulili ngokunikeza abesimame imisebenzi yokunakekela izingane kanye nokwenza imisebenzi yasendlini, efana nokuhlanza izindlu, ukupheka kanye nokuyothenga ezitolo; (d) umqondo wokubeka abesilisa phambili; kanye (e) nokungahleleki ngokufanele nokulingalingana ngokukhombisa ngezithombe phakathi kwabesimame nabesilisa. Ucwaningo luncoma ukuthi ukufundisa ngokulingana kwabafundi besilisa nabesifazane ezikoleni kanye nakwisizwe sonkana kungasetshenziswa ukudumaza umqondo wokubeka ubulili obuthile ngendlela nomqondo othize (gender-stereotyped) kanye nokwenza ukuthi abobulili obuthile kuphela okumele benze noma bangenzi imisebenzi ethile. Othisha besifazane kumele bebeyisibonelo kumantombazane. Abafundisi kumele basebenzise izincwadi zokufundisa ezingenabandlululo ngokobulili ukuze isizukulwane esisha bsiondisise ngezokulingana ngokobulili.