English Foreign Language Teachers Awareness and Attitude towards Gender-Sensitivity in Language Use

Abstract

This quantitative descriptive survey study was designed with the aim of investigating the awareness and attitude of EFL (English Foreign Language) teachers towards gender-sensitivity in language use. The participants of the study were 102 EFL teachers who were comprehensively taken from ten secondary and preparatory schools. Among the 102 participants, 47 are female and 55 are male. This study looks specifically at awareness and attitude of teachers regarding gender sensitivity in language use and their difference up on the variable awareness. Questionnaires with close-ended items for attitude and with mixed type of item for awareness were employed to gather data. Descriptive statistics computing data regarding attitude and Independent T-test to compare the mean of female and male respondents regarding awareness were used. The results from the descriptive statistics show that the participant teachers generally have positive attitude towards the issue gendersensitivity in language use. No significant difference was found between female and male EFL teachers in their awareness according to the data from the independent T-test. Finally, in line with the findings, recommendations, like, an enhancement of the EFL teachers’ awareness in gender-fair language should be strengthened through gender sensitive and gender reflective awareness seminar,-workshop and others were forwarded.