Queering English language teaching: Insights from teachers in a Philippine state university

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the growing acknowledgment of schools as potential sites for making gender equity and gender justice and fairness possible, incorporating the gender perspective in education has become imperative. The field of English language teaching (ELT) has been part of this development as well with issues of gender and sexuality receiving considerable attention in the field. The present study contributes to this developing conversation by focusing on the possibilities and challenges of queering ELT, an area in the literature on diversity-focused ELT which has received relatively minimal attention. Using a qualitative survey of 20 English language teachers in a leading Philippine state university, the study investigates the teacher-participants’ notions of a queer-perspective ELT, their own queering practices in the classroom, and the difficulties posed by these practices. The findings of the study demonstrate that the teachers have positive views about queering ELT and, in fact, find it necessary for fostering an inclusive classroom and stimulating students’ critical thinking. However, the teachers also report the lack of models, their own limited knowledge of queer concepts, and possible resistance from stakeholders as challenges that ultimately need to be faced for a genuine integration of the gender, specifically queer, perspective in the field of Philippine ELT.