Exploring ‘Neutrality’ in the Educational Setting: Gender Imbalances in Some Classroom Practices Among Moroccan EFL Students

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate some biased teaching and learning practices in the classroom context. Special focus geared to the analysis of both male and female classroom interactions along with an examination of teachers’ unconscious bias either in their practices with their students and/or in their choice and use of some teaching materials exploited as topics for class discussion or for evaluation. A three sections’ survey administered to second Baccalaureate students studying EFL in Meknes to serve as a data collection tool for this study. The findings crop up from a quantitative analysis of the data seem to align with prior research in this area substantiating the argument that female language learners are found to be at a great disadvantage. They denied the right to take their learning share of the classroom talk; they not been granted equal time and attention like boys, and they have been excluded far more often from their appealing topics. The paper ends up with a conclusion along with some practical recommendations to help combat this educational mishap. Without any awareness regarding the prevalence and the common overuse of these imbalanced practices, female language learners in particular will continue to be subject to a number of learning barriers, which may hinder them from bringing their potentials into fullness.