LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 21:8 August 2021
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Representation of Culture and Gender in English for Today at
Higher Secondary Level in Bangladesh

Masnadul Ferdus

Abstract

Culture and Gender are the unique attributes of a particular group of people, distinct in everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, arts, and lifestyle. Thus, culture finds expression in language; as such, learning a new language without familiarity with its culture retards the learning process. This study investigates the representation of gender and culture in English for Today, the language textbook for the H.S.C level and tries to find out its impact on English language learning. Its importance in everyday life is immeasurable as can be seen by its unofficial status of the second language in Bangladesh. The government has mandated twelve years of learning of the language. Unfortunately, this mandate has not been translated to concrete results and the overall standard of the L2 in our country has remained appalling. To collect relevant data, the researcher has used mixed method (both qualitative and quantitative methods). As research tools of data collection, teachers` interviews, and questionnaire survey have been included. After collecting data, they have been analyzed. The findings show that the representation of gender and culture in English for Today textbook at the HSC level is well-balanced but whatever outcome we see or find in terms of language learning is not the product of the textbook rather a predigested guidebook.

Keywords: Bangladesh, English for Today textbook, gender, culture, learning

Introduction

Gender and culture prejudiced language in textbooks can influence students negatively in learning the L2. Gender and culture biased language is most often groundless and iniquitous (Cameron, 1990, pp. 13) and helps create a repressive and intolerant nation. Studies of gender, culture and language have found that culturally biased and gender stereotypes in written text and pictures have deleterious effects for male and female students (Lesikin, 2001, pp. 281). These issues incorporate feelings of exclusion, depression, segregation, and lowered expectations.

Keeping all these factors in mind, the education authorities have suggested diverse criteria for selecting appropriate and relevant content for the textbooks. One of these is that the content of the textbooks should be consistent with and relevant to the sex of the intended learners (Eisner, 1985, pp. 201-202). The content of textbooks is useful and efficient when it is consistent with the learner's age and sex. Therefore, the issues, sentence models and examples must be represented in such a way that both male and female learners feel that they are equally valuable to the society. Textbooks should not impose on the readers the idea that male students have more social prominence than females.

This paper aims to find whether these precepts have been manifested in the EFT textbook and its teaching at the HSC level of the country.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Masnadul Ferdus
M.Phil. (1st Year) University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
masnadulf@yahoo.com
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