A Comparative Study of Female Portrayals in Two EFL Textbooks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/a35mk548Keywords:
Gender bias, Female portrayals, Textbooks, Visual depictions.Abstract
This study provides a comparative analysis of the portrayal of women in two widespread English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks: China's New Standard College English (NSCE) and the globally recognized EFL textbook Interchange. Drawing on Goffman's framework as modified by Benattabou, this study focuses on the seventh dimension: image framing, how gender bias is displayed in textbooks. Three key questions are posed around the presentation of women in two textbooks This study assesses whether NSCE exhibits more gender stereotypes than Interchange, explores differences in visual depictions, and makes recommendations for improvement. Through a systematic analysis of visuals and illustrations, It is found that both textbooks generally represent gender relatively fairly, but that gender bias still exists. And, the images in NSCE do show more severe gender stereotyping in terms of image framing compared to similar international textbooks. This study provides insights to enhance visual gender portrayal in EFL textbooks for the benefit of educators, textbook editors to promote gender equality in language learning materials.
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