Gender Mainstreaming In Education Research Articles

Navigating the gender dimensions in English language teaching: perceptions of senior high school teachers in the Philippines

ABSTRACT In the Philippines, previous studies have revealed that the implementation of gender mainstreaming in education has remained vague. Also, there is a lacuna in the literature about informed accounts of teachers, particularly English language teachers, in their attempts to mainstream gender-and-development (GAD) education in Philippine schools. Through a qualitative survey among 124 Filipino senior high school teachers of English and follow-up focus group discussions, this paper explores English language teachers’ perceptions of the advantages, ways of, and challenges to incorporating gender dimensions in ELT. Findings indicate that teachers are ready to integrate a gender perspective into their teaching; however, concrete frameworks, curriculum materials, teacher education, and institutional support are crucial given the sensitive, ethical concerns that consideration of gender may generate among educators, students, and the wider community. Implications from this investigation could trigger similar accounts and experiences in teaching-learning contexts where the gender perspective may be integrated.

Exploring the Gender Perspective in English Language Teaching (ELT): Voices from ELT Practitioners in Philippine Higher Education Institutions.

In recent years, gender mainstreaming in education has been discussed and studied. In the Philippines, however, research has tended to focus on extreme ends of the implementation process such as the awareness of educators about the gender perspective or the success in incorporating gender in their pedagogical practices, rather than an in-depth analysis on the overall experience of educators in the government’s attempt to mainstream gender-and-development education in schools. Also, there is a gap in the literature concerning Filipino English language teaching (ELT) practitioners' views on integrating the gender perspective into English language education. Through semi-structured interviews, the present study explores how a group of 71 Filipino college teachers of English perceive the benefits, ways, and challenges of incorporating the gender dimension in ELT. The thematic analysis of interview responses revealed the following benefits: enhancement of learners’ critical thinking skills, promotion of an inclusive and supportive learning environment, and increased awareness on the critical role of language (i.e., English) in recognizing diversity. Further, it was found that the teacher-participants incorporate gender knowledge in ELT in two ways: instructional materials and teaching-learning activities, and teacher-student interaction. In terms of challenges, three major themes emerged: learner factor, teacher factor, and institutional constraints (which were further categorized as curriculum, resource, and belief).

Gender-Based Content of Educational Materials for the Study of Serbian Language in Lower-Stage Grades of Elementary Education

This paper presents the results of analysis of educational materials for the study of Serbian language in lower-stage grades of elementary education (intended for students from 7 through 11 years old) from gender perspective. The first part of the paper presents the process of institutionalization of gender-based education in the Republic of Serbia after the year 2000, when gender issues became highlighted as an integral part of the overall reform of education within the implementation of education for democracy and civil society. Declarative commitment to developing gender sensitivity has led to changes in the curriculum for elementary education and, presumably, changes in the selection of educational materials for different school subjects. The authors intended to determine whether educational materials for Serbian language honor the principle of gender equality in the selection of literary texts. The presence and nature of gender-based content in reading books from different publishers, for second and third grade, was determined by using the method of content analysis. The aim was to establish empirical evidence that would show the degree of gender sensitivity of analyzed educational materials and their compliance with the strategic commitment to gender mainstreaming in education. The authors are aware of the range of this micro-level research, and the impossibility to reach general conclusions, however, in their opinion, the obtained data may shed a light on at least one part of the mosaic of the complex relationship of education, educational material and gender equality in contemporary Serbian society. The following conclusions were drawn: (a) the analyzed educational material serves the function of developing gender sensitivity; (b) the principle of gender equality is respected in selection of the material; (c) the distinguished gender characteristics go beyond the so-called traditional gender pattern.

Gender mainstreaming in education at the level of field operations: the case of CARE USA’s indicator framework

Following the adoption of gender mainstreaming at the Beijing Conference for Women in 1995 as a major strategy to promote gender equality and the recognition of gender analysis as central to this process, Gender and Development (GAD) frameworks have provided tools for gender analysis in various sectors. Gender mainstreaming in basic education has received limited attention to date, however, especially in development agencies at the level of operations (i.e., field offices in partnership with the community, school, and classroom). We contend that gender analysis in education – especially at the level of operations for development agencies – could be enhanced through the use of robust education and gender (EDGE) analysis frameworks that integrate dimensions of educational quality and attainment with equality and empowerment. We explore this idea by examining CARE USA’s comprehensive Common Indicator Framework (CIF) that integrates these four areas and was designed for use in the basic education sector. We review and compare the findings from the initial use of the CIF to guide data collection for a situation analysis in two countries, Mali and Cambodia, and we critique both how it is contributing to gender mainstreaming at the level of operations and ways in which it needs to be refined.