Abstract
The focus of this study was female gender representation in secondary level ELT textbooks published by four different textbook boards of Pakistan, namely Baluchistan Textbook Board, Sindh Textbook Board, Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Textbook Board and Punjab Textbook Board. It targeted a comprehensive comparison between the female gender images as represented in four sets of textbooks and gender conceptions of their respective female readers. To achieve the objectives, the study was divided into two parts: In part 1, the textbooks by four state-run textbook boards were analyzed and in part 2, their respective female readers’ gender conceptions were collected and analyzed. The study employed multi-dimensional analytical tools like manifest, latent analysis and Fairclough (2001) CDA model for interpretation and explanation of textbook discourse. The study revealed a low representation share of female gender in four sets of textbooks. It brought out that female readership had stereotype conceptions regarding the attributes, professions and activities as appropriate for the female gender. It was also found that Sindh and Punjab Textbook Boards had improved female gender representation than other provincial textbook boards. The quantitative findings of part 2 proposed that textbooks could play a vital part in modeling gender conceptions of readership as Sindh and Punjab Textbook Boards’ female readership showed better gender conceptions. The study recommended a gender-based test of the textbooks at national level prior to publication to ensure gender equality as directed in National Curriculum.
Highlights
Curriculum provides basic guidelines for the teaching and learning course of an academic program
The ELT textbooks prescribed for 9th and 10th class Baluchistan Textbook Board, Sindh Textbook Board, Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Textbook Board and Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore, Pakistan were examined in detail
The study has revealed that barring a few instances, the female gender has not been given its due share in ELT textbooks
Summary
Curriculum provides basic guidelines for the teaching and learning course of an academic program. It has various stages of planning, execution and evaluation. The education department of the country is run by federal government and education ministries of respective provinces. The provincial education ministries make their respective syllabus in accordance with the guidelines of National Curriculum 2006. AJK, GB and the schools under federal education board follow the PTB syllabus. These areas have been grouped with Punjab province for simplicity of data compilation of quantitative part of this study. National Curriculum for English language 2006 (Grades I – XII) provides competencies, standards, benchmarks and student learning outcomes.
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