BUKIDNON STATE

UNIVERSITY
Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, 8700
Tel (088) 221 2237; Telefax (088)812-17
www.bsu.edu.ph

ELT 202
Language Acquisition: Theories and Techniques

Research Proposal

Darchny Z. Pusod
Master of Arts in Education major in English Language Teaching

ABCD He or She: An Analysis of Gender-Sensitivity in Kindergarten Textbooks

INTRODUCTION

Feminists have long examined the use of a marginalized terms for women especially
in their roles in the society. This is apparently a sign of gender-bias in men and women. An
example of gender stereotypes exists in the belief that it is the woman's job to stay home and
take care of the household while it is believed for men to make the decisions because they are
more capable of doing such. Thus, this leads to more sexist approach especially in the use of
language.

Sexist language is a language wherein there is a bias in the use of words to express
meanings often in favor of a particular sex and treats the other sex in a discriminatory
approach. Moreover, the common forms of sexism in English language include the use of his,
he, him as pronouns commonly referred to both men and women in usage. Another example
are the usage of the common suffixes like –man, -ette and –ess in various words and most of
these kinds of language occurs not just in homes but also in many schools.

In addition, sexism in schools really affects the students in general. Sexist remarks
and even sexual harassment are prevalent in most of the institutions not just in the country but
also abroad. The schools have an important role in eliminating these kinds of discrimination
however the school’s faculty and staff are even busier with their personal jobs thus forgetting
the existence of these kinds of sexism. The simple act of not permitting girls to be in a field
where male dominance can be observed is an evident manifestation of sexism in schools like
vying for positions in the school organizations or any athletic achievements. Thus, the more
sexism in schools occur, the greater the possibility for children to acquire these kinds of sexist
orientations even when at home or even as they start their learning as early as kindergarten.

More so, playing sex roles has always been a part of a child’s development and
growth that no one has ever accounted it as a conflict. As Myers (2005) suggested, approvals
and prescriptions are set as to how boys and girls should act, think, and feel. As children
transit from one milestone to another, they learned to portray these prescribed roles and the
acts that are considered successful to their life and age levels. For example, by the time a
child reaches childhood, he or she would likely know that girls will become a caring wife and
a loving mother while boys would likely become a brave man and a strong father. These
prescriptions and approvals are given by the kind of culture that a child has grown up
practicing with including the child’s perception towards gender. In other words, social
constraints governed the gender perception of a child through social interaction. As Holmes
(2007) described, “gender is socially constructed and shaped in an environment that is
crucially dependent by culture”. This only means that the construction of gender varies from
one culture to another.

In 2014, Tarrayo discussed that people are classified in varying ways however, the
easiest way to do so is to classify them into man or woman. Such stereotypes and
classifications often exist in some textbooks. Since the beginning of Adam’s time, man has
always been placed in a high position may it be in home or in work place while woman has
always been viewed as a mere housekeeper and a supporter to her husband. Apparently, true
to all gender stereotypes, sex-role labels were not built overnight but were magnified through
literatures and fictions. In this case, as Kendall (2003) suggested, language comes in as
language influences an individual’s extent of perception and understanding of the world and
the natural sex roles to be, embedded in some learning materials or most of the time in some
English language textbooks. Previously in 1996, Macaulay stated that some novelists have
frequently tried to indicate the tone of voice through the use of descriptive verbs and
adjectives to introduce dialogues in a novel. This revealed that a difference between a man’s
and a woman’s expression in speech is observed. Moreover, in some of the traditional
language classrooms, students are taught to use masculine nouns if the gender of the subject
is not clearly stated in a sentence however, for the past decades, women have fought for
equality and liberated themselves from being chained in the kitchen and sink. With his,
women have taken roles that were previously viewed as for men’s only. This phenomenon
has influenced a lot of writers, teachers, and students to reconsider their viewpoint on gender
roles.
 On the other note, textbooks are considered to be significant for analysis in terms of
gender role biases as textbooks play a critical role in aiding the learners’ knowledge,
textbooks provide gender-marked items, textbooks provide the patterns of English language
for gender representation and also the varying and diverse societies that consider gender, and
lastly, textbooks provide social characteristics of gender roles.

Different studies have shown that in terms of gender representation, a strong gender
bias in textbooks exist. Bahiyah et al. (2008) females are always described in textbooks as a
supporting character of males and are always associated to gentle characters. On the other
hand, males are always portrayed to be active and strong. The gender portrayals in textbooks
mirror the social values of a society. The kind of materials that a learners deal with influence
their way of thinking. The biases and stereotypes that exist in texts or depicted in pictures will
give a female student the feeling of exclusion, inferiority, alienation, and devaluation
(Lesikin, 2001).

In 2015, Sovic and Hus studied and did a stereotype visual analysis on three textbooks
for young learners where the results suggested that the textbooks exemplified gender
stereotype. As per suggested, the textbooks have more male characters than females and
males have more active roles than females. Meanwhile, in 2014, Hall examined gender
representations in two EFL textbooks in Iranian Secondary Schools. The result revealed that a
degree of imbalance in gender representation is observable in the two materials being
examined. Bahman and Rahimi (2010), have also investigated the parts of three-volume
English Textbooks. The result confide that the materials manifest sexism in different areas.
Masculine terms came first than of the feminine terms. In the reading passages, apparent
supremacy is shown among men over women and an abundant use of male generics is
illustrated. In addition, Parham (2013) explored the different gender representation in
collection of books used to teach English to young children. His study showed that females
are under-represented in the said materials.

A kindergarten’s curriculum and system is important to ensure that a child receives

affectionate interaction with at least one adult or a few of familiar people from whom they
can receive intensive, personalized, and predictable care on constant basis (Mohidin et al.,
2015). However, kindergarten books often use imagery and text that manifest sexism. These
books tend to cause many different characterizations regarding gender. These books contain
illustrations like pictures of boys and girls where there is a predominance of the latter
compared to the former and there could even be a sexist relation to its captions. This
framework is focused on gender bias and studying this matter points directly to the society
and how even these workbooks shape sexism even in kindergarten.

In the Philippines, some researchers have also studied the gender representation in ESL
materials however, limitations in their methodologies and materials are observed. First,
Tarrayo’s study in 2014 is only limited into two textbooks that are used in private schools for
preschool learners. Second, Bautista et al. (2002) has limited his investigation to the reading
and language books of Kinder I to Grade III learners in private school. Third, Java and Parcon
in 2016 have only examined the Grade I textbooks’ illustration on both sexes’ productive,
reproductive, and community roles. Lastly, Tiangson (2018) only analyzed the images of
Filipino women in selected short stories as well as the influence of these images in the gender
role development of a child.

Furthermore, the study conducted by Blumberg (2007) entitled Gender Bias in

Textbooks: A Hidden Obstacle on the Road to Gender Equality in Education, he concluded
that:

The study was aimed with the timely fulfillment of the Education for All and MDGs
which is on gender bias in textbooks (and curricula). Textbooks take up the lion’s share of
class time for both teachers and students and reflect on nation’s curricula. In addition, the
gender bias in textbooks is hidden in plain sight. Their stereotypes of males and females are
camouflaged by the taken-for-granted system of gender stratification and rules.

However, what the study failed to magnify on is about gender bias on the textbook’s
imagery and texts which will be the focus in this study. This aims to give results that will
show how textbooks in kindergarten puts up a sexist point of view specifically on its imagery
and text using Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s books for Sexism and Racism From
Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children by Louise Derman-Sparks and
the A. B. C. Task Force. Through this, incorporating a theory (Classical Feminist Theory) is
highly used for it magnifies the biases these workbooks have in their illustrations and
captions.

In attempt to contribute in filling the gaps of the previous studies and in keeping with the
notion that language learning is certainly a culture-learning process, the present study will
analyze the gender bias(es) in Kindergarten textbooks specifically, this study aims to answer
the following questions:

1. What is/are the common bias(es) found in the textbooks?

 2. What language is used in portraying men and women?
3. What bias(es) in imagery is/are used in portraying men and women?
4. What guidelines can be made in making gender-biased free textbooks/learning
materials, based on the results of the study?

Theoretical Framework

Language is a mechanism through which people perceive the world. Seemingly,

language influences the stage for the development of thought and behavior. Language helps
people in conceptualizing their ideas and feelings about the things around them. Language
allows humans to makes sense of objects, events, and other people in a certain environment
(Sapir, 1949 as cited in Tarrayo, 2014).

Moreover, language promotes certain points of view and versions of reality.

Accordingly, people represent the world through language by choosing words or utterances
that will represent people, things, or concept. Words are never neutral because words will
always represent the world in a certain way and so, language always, to some instances
promotes a particular ideology (Halliday, 1994).

The moment that a child reads, his or her exposure to different cultural symbols in
textbook has also started. This action proves that language learning is a culture-learning
process. Textbooks are a miniature copy of ideologies, values, and beliefs from the dominant
culture, including gender ideologies and scripts. Although language is said to play a critical
role in the interaction of human beings, McClure (1992 as cited by Tarrayo, 2014) suggested
that, language can also be a “primary “factor through which gender biases explicitly and
implicitly disseminated”. In keeping with this belief, Kabira and Masinjilla (1997 as cited by
Sydney 2004) argued that authors of textbooks create a human world in which children learn
about what people do and how are they connected to one another. This is where the
humanizing effect of textbooks, that if not well taken care of, could lead to the discrimination
of some categories of learners specifically, a discrimination grounded on gender role. Thus, a
single textbook can be a source of gender stereotypes that children use to organize gendered
behavior. The gender schema theory also explains that the learner feels or develops a sense of
femaleness and maleness based on gender stereotypes around him or her.
Classical Feminist Theory

The history of feminist politics and theory is often talked of as consisting of three
“waves.” First-wave feminism is generally associated with the women’s suffrage movements
of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. First-wave feminism was characterized by
a focus on officially mandated inequalities between men and women, such as the legal
barring of women from voting, property rights, employment, equal rights in marriage, and
positions of political power and authority. “First-wave” theorists like Mary Wollstonecraft
and Susan B. Anthony were influential for their focus on how women’s lack of legal rights
contributed to their social demotion, exclusion, and suffering.

Second-wave feminism is associated with the women’s liberation movements of the

1960s and 1970s. While seeing themselves as inheritors of the politics of the first-wave which
focused primarily on legal obstacles to women’s rights, second-wave feminists began
concentrating on less “official” barriers to gender equality, addressing issues like sexuality,
reproductive rights, women’s roles and labor in the home, and patriarchal culture. “Second-
wave” theorists like Betty Friedan and Andrea Dworkin were prominent for their focus on
women’s sexuality, reproduction, and the social consequences of living in a patriarchal
culture.

Finally, what is called third-wave feminism is generally associated with feminist

politics and movements that began in the 1980s and continue on to today. Third-wave
feminism emerged out of a critique of the politics of the second wave, as many feminists felt
that earlier generations had over-generalized the experiences of white, middle-class,
heterosexual women and ignored (and even suppressed) the viewpoints of women of color,
the poor, gay, lesbian, and transgender people, and women from the non-Western world.
Third-wave feminists have critiqued essential or universal notions of womanhood, and focus
on issues of racism, homophobia, and Eurocentrism as part of their feminist agenda.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a prominent American feminist, sociologist and a novelist,

proposed this theory which consists differences in organ and function, in look and action, in
habit, manner, method, occupation, behavior, which distinguish men from women. We have
distinguished our differences in every virtues, along sex lines. This idea is perpetuated by the
stereotypical gender roles that are portrayed by children's books, which reify ideas of
appropriate behaviors and actions depending on the gender of a character.
Sociological Theory

West and Zimmerman (1987) used their theory to show the continuous, active process
of construction of gender in modern society. They argue for a reconceptualization of gender
in broader circles than sociological ones, is that the over-all society will gain a deeper
understanding of sex. This understanding ideally will set in motion a process of social change
that could finally achieve a quality between males and females.

Media such as children’s literature have continued to reproduce distinct gender roles,
which serve to aid children’s self-regulation of gender by providing them with examples of
justification for the different ways in which they have already been taught to act.

Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Sexism and Racism

This guideline used in this study is adopted from Louise Derman-Sparks and the
A.B.C. Task Force. This guideline offers a starting point in evaluation of children’s books. It
includes the then quick ways to detect sexism and racism in the books.

1. Check the Illustrations

Look for Stereotypes. A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization about a

particular group, race, or sex, which usually carries derogatory implications. Some infamous
(overt) stereotypes of Blacks are the happy-golucky, watermelon-eating Sambo and the fat,
eye-rolling "mammy"; of Chicanos, the sombrero-wearing peon, or the fiesta-loving, macho
bandito; of Asian Americans, the inscrutable, slant-eyed "Oriental"; of Native Americans, the
naked savage or "primitive" craftsperson and his "squaw"; of Puerto Ricans, the switchblade-
toting, teenage gang member; of women, the completely domesticated mother, the demure,
doll-loving little girl or the 2 wicked stepmother. While you may not always find stereotypes
in the blatant forms described, look for variations which in any way demean or ridicule
characters because of their race or sex.

Look for Tokenism. If there are minority characters in the illustrations, do they look
just like whites except for being tinted or colored in? Do all minority faces look
stereotypically alike, or are they depicted as genuine individuals with distinctive features?
 Who's Doing What? Do the illustrations depict minorities in subservient and passive
roles or in leadership and action roles? Are males the active "doers" and females the inactive
observers?

2. Check the Story Line

The liberation movements have led publishers to weed out many insulting passages,
particularly from stories with Black themes and from books depicting female characters;
however, racist and sexist attitudes still find expression in less obvious ways. The following
checklist suggests some of the subtle, covert forms of bias to watch for.

Standard for Success. Does it take "white" behavior standards for a minority person to
"get ahead"? Is "making it' in the dominant white society projected as the only ideal? To gain
acceptance and approval, do third world persons have to exhibit extraordinary qualities -
excel in sports, get A's, etc.? In friendships between white and third world children, is it the
third world child who does most of the understanding and forgiving?

Resolution of Problems. How are problems presented, conceived, and resolved in the
story? Are minority people considered to be "the problem"? Are the oppressions faced by
minorities and women represented as casually related to an unjust society? Are the reasons
for poverty and oppression explained, or are they accepted as inevitable? Does the story line
encourage passive acceptance or active resistance? Is a particular problem that is faced by a
minority person resolved through the benevolent intervention of a white person?

Role of Women. Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own
initiative and intelligence, or are they due to their good looks or to their relationship with
boys? Are sex roles incidental or critical to characterization and plot? Could the same story
be told if the sex roles were reversed?

3. Look at the Lifestyles

Are third world persons and their setting depicted in such a way that they contrast
unfavorably with the unstated norm of white, middle-class suburbia? If the minority group in
question is depicted as "different," are negative value judgments implied? Are minorities
depicted exclusively in ghettos, barrios, or migrant camps? If the illustrations and text attempt
to depict another culture, do they go beyond over-simplifications and offer genuine insights
into another lifestyle? Look for inaccuracy and inappropriateness in the depiction of other
cultures. Watch for instances of the "quaint-natives-in-costume" syndrome (most noticeable
in areas like clothing and custom, but extending to behavior and personality traits as well).
4. Weigh the Relationships between People

Do the whites in the story possess the power, take the leadership, and make the
important decisions? Do minorities and females function in essentially supporting,
subservient roles? How are family relationships depicted? In Black families, is the mother
always dominant? In Latino families, are there always lots of children? If the family is
separated, are societal conditions -unemployment, poverty cited among the reasons for the
separation?

5. Note the Heroes

For many years, books showed only "safe" minority heroes-those who avoided serious
conflict with the white establishment of their time. Minority groups today are insisting on the
right to define their own heroes (of both sexes) based on their own concepts and struggles for
justice. When minority heroes do appear, are they admired for the same qualities that have
made white heroes famous or because what they have done has benefited white people? Ask
this question: "Whose interests is a particular hero really serving?" The interests of the hero's
own people? Or the interests of white people?

6. Consider the Effects on a Child's Self-image

Are norms established which limit any child's aspirations and self-concepts?

What effect can it have on third world children to be continuously bombarded with
images of the color white as the ultimate in beauty, cleanliness, virtue, etc., and the color
black as evil, dirty, menacing, etc.? Does the book reinforce or counteract positive
associations with the color white and negative associations with the color black? What
happens to a girl's self- image when she reads that boys perform all of the brave and
important deeds? What about a girl's self-esteem if she is not "fair" of skin and slim of body?
In a particular story, is there one or more persons with whom a minority child can readily
identify to a positive and constructive end?

7. Consider the Author's or Illustrator's Background

Analyze the biographical material on the jacket flap or the back of the book. If
a story deals with a minority theme, what qualifies the author or illustrator to deal with the
subject? If the author and illustrator are not members of the minority being written about, is
there anything in their background that would specifically recommend them as the creators of
this book?
8. Check out the Author's Perspective

No author can be entirely objective. All authors write from a cultural as well as from a
personal context. Children's books in the past have traditionally come from authors who were
white and who were members of the middle class, with one result being that a single
ethnocentric perspective has dominated children's literature in the United States. With any
book in question, read carefully to determine whether the direction of the author's perspective
substantially weakens or strengthens the value of his/her written work. Is the perspective
patriarchal or feminist? Is it solely Eurocentric or do third world perspectives also surface?

9. Watch for Loaded Words

A word is loaded when it has offensive overtones. Examples of loaded adjectives

(usually racist) are "savage," "primitive," "conniving," "lazy," "superstitious," "treacherous,"
"wily," "crafty," "inscrutable," "docile," and "backward." Look for sexist language and
adjectives that exclude or in any way demean girls or women. Look for use of the male
pronoun to refer to both males and females. While the generic use of the word "man" was
accepted in the past, its use today is outmoded. The following examples show how sexist
language can be avoided: ancestors instead of forefathers; chairperson instead of chairman;
community instead of brotherhood; fire fighters instead of firemen; manufactured instead of
manmade; human family instead of family of man.

10. Look at the Copyright Date

Books on minority themes-usually hastily conceived-suddenly began appearing in the

mid and late 1960's. There followed a growing number of "minority experience" books to
meet the new market demand, but these books were still written by white authors, edited by
white editors, and published by white publishers. They therefore reflected a white point of
view. Not until the early 1970's did the children's book world begin to even remotely reflect
the realities of a pluralistic society. The new direction resulted from the emergence of third
world authors writing about their own experiences in an oppressive society. This promising
direction has been reversing in the late 1970's. Non-sexist books, with rare exceptions, were
not published before 1972 to 1974. The copyright dates, therefore, can be a clue as to how
likely the book is to be overtly racist or sexist, although a recent copyright date, of course, is
no guarantee of a book's relevance or sensitivity. The copyright date only means the year the
book was published. It usually takes two years-and often much more than that-from the time a
manuscript is submitted to the publisher to the time it is actually printed and put on the
market. This time lag meant very little in the past, but in a period of rapid change and new
consciousness, when children's book publishing is attempting to be "relevant," it is becoming
increasingly significant.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study will be using a qualitative type of research. It will be focusing on the
analysis of gender bias in the kindergarten textbooks. A descriptive research will be designed
in this study, because the researcher will be analyzing the imagery and the text that manifest
sexism.

Corpus of the Study

The study is concerned with the possibility of gender bias(es), sexism, and
stereotyping that could be found on the textbooks of kindergarten through texts and imagery.
So the study will focus on the biases that are found on the textbooks and its effects towards
the children and the research findings shall be used to draw guidelines in making a gender-
biased free textbook and/or learning materials.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher will use the guidelines given by Louise Derman-Spark in his/her
article the “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Sexism and Racism” from the
Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children to analyze and examine the
books and look into the bias(es) present in the book.

Ethical Considerations

Communication letters will be sent to the rightful school authorities for the permission
of borrowing the books that will be used for the study. All data and information that will be
gathered, that may affect the credibility of the books, its publisher(s), and its author(s) will be
treated with strict confidentiality and since this study will be investigating a sensitive topic
about gender, the researcher shall provide the assurance that the results will be used for
research purposes only and not for the purpose of inflicting discriminations to any gender that
will be mentioned in the study.

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