MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M. THESIS GENDER BIAS IN CURRENT SECONDARY SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS: TIẾNG ANH 8, TIẾNG ANH 9 Sự kì thị giới tính về ngôn ngữ trong sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh trung học cơ sở hiện hành: Tiếng Anh 8, Tiếng Anh 9 HOÀNG THỊ THANH LAM Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Hanoi, 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M. THESIS GENDER BIAS IN CURRENT SECONDARY SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS: TIẾNG ANH 8, TIẾNG ANH 9 Sự kỳ thị giới tính về ngôn ngữ trong sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh trung học cơ sở hiện hành: Tiếng Anh 8, Tiếng Anh 9 HOÀNG THỊ THANH LAM Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Dr. Le Thi Minh Thao Hanoi, 2023 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “Gender bias in the current Vietnamese secondary English language textbooks: Tiếng Anh 8, Tiếng Anh 9” has been carried out in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language at the Hanoi Open University.
This work is original and all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Hanoi – 2023 Hoàng Thị Thanh Lam Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Date: ………………………………. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the period of completing the Master thesis, the author has received the support of a great number of people. First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Dr.
Le Thi Minh Thao, my supervisor, who has enthusiastically and generously given me insightful guidance and valuable feedback during the process of carrying out the thesis. The success of my study would have been almost impossible without her support and encouragement. I would also like to give my sincere gratitude to all of the lecturers at Hanoi Open University for their scholarly knowledge and enthusiasm in their lectures. My profound thanks are also to all my friends and classmates, who have always stayed by my side, given me constructive comments and perked me up every time I need.
Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks go to my family for their immeasurable support and continual encouragement. The Master thesis could not have been fulfilled without them. i ABSTRACT It has been proved that gender bias exists in language as well as in language textbooks. Many studies on linguistic gender bias in English as a foreign language (EFL)/ English as a second language (ESL) textbooks have been internationally published.
However, very few in-depth studies on this topic have been carried out in Vietnam. Diep (2002) has been an exception but he has just investigated gender bias in language in general so linguistic gender bias in particular materials such as school English textbooks has been still left blank. This study on linguistic gender bias in current Vietnamese lower secondary school English language textbooks: Tiếng Anh 8, and Tiếng Anh 9 was aimed at finding out how often linguistic gender bias occurs in these textbooks and uncovering the hidden messages conveyed through this linguistic gender bias. The study used content analysis methods to discover the frequencies of occurrences of each category of linguistic gender bias and the content of the messages transmitted via linguistic gender bias in the English textbooks.
The results of the study showed that linguistic gender bias occurs rather often in the two English textbooks and through it the messages of women‘s low status are conveyed. This suggests that more attention should be paid on linguistic gender bias so that it could be avoided in the textbooks because learners may suffer from negative effects if gender bias or gender biases are presented in their texts. ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a foreign language ESL: English as a second language MOET: Ministry of Education and Training NCTE: National Council of Teachers of English LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Linguistic Sexism in Morphology by Book Table 2.
Linguistic Sexism in Semantics by Book Table 3. Linguistic Sexism in Syntax (Generic Pronoun Use) by Book Table 4. Linguistic Sexism in Syntax (Word Order Use) by Book Table 5. Linguistic Sexism by Book and Category iii TABLE OF CONTENTS i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.
Rationale to the research 1 1. Aim and objectives of the research 2 1. Scope of the research 3 1. Significance of the research 3 1.
Structural organization of the thesis 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2. Review of previous studies related to the research area of the thesis 5 2. Studies of Gender bias in language in the world 5 2. Studies of Gender bias in language in Vietnam 11 2.
Review of theoretical background 15 2. Linguistic Gender bias 17 2. Linguistic Gender bias in English 18 2. Linguistic Gender bias in Morphology 20 2.
Words and phrases 21 2. Linguistic Gender bias in Semantics 22 2. Linguistic Gender bias in Syntax 24 iv 2. Linguistic Gender bias in Pragmatics 25 2.
Influences of Language Textbooks and Gender bias in Language Textbooks 26 2. Summary 27 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 29 3. Methods of the research 30 3. Analytical framework of the study 32 3.
Data collection procedure 32 3. Data analysis procedure 33 3. Summary 33 CHAPTER 4: FINDING AND DISCUSSION 34 4. Findings related to research question 1 34 4.
Linguistic Sexism in Morphology 34 4. Linguistic Sexismin Semantics 35 4. Linguistic Sexismin Syntax 36 4. Findings related to research question 2 39 4.
The predictability of genderic grammar systems, especially sexism systems 39 4. The disparity in morphology between male and female agents 40 4. Women are exclusive and men are inclusive 42 4. Men are superior and women are secondary 45 4.
Women are dependent and men are independent 46 v 4. Summary 48 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 50 5. Discussion of the findings 50 5. Limitations of the research 54 5.
Suggestions for future research 55 REFERENCE 56 APPENDICES 60 vi Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale to the research Gender discrimination is discrimination due to gender bias. Gender discrimination in language is the unequal treatment between men and women in language. Gender discrimination in language is a major topic, with many characteristics, including many factors, expressed in many different forms, manifested in different languages and can be considered from many angles.
Although the concept of sexism includes gender discrimination against both men and women, in reality, gender discrimination mainly refers to gender discrimination against women. Therefore, most of the research dealing with sexism in language discusses the phenomenon of sexism against women (in language). The framework of this thesis is limited to examining gender discrimination against women through gender expressions in some of the English textbooks. As one knows, the national education system throughout Vietnam is divided into three distinct phases: (i) elementary school, which includes classes from grade 1 to grade 5 (with children from 6 to 10 years old); (ii) junior secondary school, from grade 6 to grade 9 (from 11 to 14 years old); and (iii) senior secondary school, from grade 10 to grade 12 (from 15 to 17 years old).
My thesis will explore a recent series of English textbooks published for lower secondary school, specifically English 8 and English 9. These textbooks are now being utilized in Vietnam's junior secondary schools. This collection of English textbooks is part of the National Foreign Languages Project (NFL Project) of the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training. The NFL Project's English textbook series has been used by millions of students and teachers in Vietnam's cities and provinces up until this point.
It is not hard to find other patterns of language use that prioritize men over women. For instance, English speakers usually automatically think of male pronouns when someone's sex is uncertain. "Every student must bring his own book" is a fantastic example of how to use the word "his." This is a sexist use of language that perpetuates the idea that men are inherently superior to women in many spheres of life and serves to further the idea that women are subordinate to men. Even though both sexes can work in a wide range of occupational categories, some vocations are 1 more commonly linked with men than with women.
For instance, it's a popular misperception that directing requires a lot of work. There are many different types and degrees of gender bias in life. It is most likely most commonly linked to economic concerns, like fair compensation for equal labor. Nonetheless, there is a lack of awareness or understanding regarding the part language plays in upholding and promoting sexist beliefs.
This is most likely due to the fact that linguistic gender bias is far more subtle and deeply ingrained than other types of gender bias. The struggle for gender equality has been vigorous and successful in areas like politics and the economy, but it appears to be much weaker and gets much less attention in the language. People are aware of fair labor laws for both men and women, but few are aware of language rights laws. Diep (2002) is the first Vietnamese researcher to investigate gender bias in language, but a specific database is lacking, leaving the issue of gender bias in instructional materials like Vietnamese English textbooks unexplored.
The aforementioned factors motivated me to conduct the current study, which aims to determine the extent of linguistic gender bias in the secondary English language textbooks currently used in Vietnam. Ideally, the findings of this study will be taken into account when designing the upcoming syllabus, as the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has recently established a plan for the innovation of a number of school textbooks, including the English ones. Aim and objectives of the research Examining the issue of gender bias in language in the present Tiếng Anh 8 and Tiếng Anh 9 Vietnamese intermediate English language textbooks - written by Hoang Van Van et al. and distributed by MOET - is the main objective of the study.
The following research objectives include the above-mentioned primary goal: Tiếng Anh 8 and Tiếng Anh 9 are the current Vietnamese secondary English language textbooks. Finding the frequency of linguistic gender bias at the word and phrase levels in these textbooks is the first objective of this study. The second goal is to find any hidden message(s) that may be sent by the employment of linguistic gender bias at such keyword and phrase levels. Research questions The primary research questions that guide my investigation are as follows: 1) How frequently do the English language textbooks used in Vietnamese secondary schools nowadays exhibit gender bias at the word and phrase levels: Tiếng Anh 8 and Tiếng Anh 9? 2) What message(s) is the inclusion of gender bias in these textbooks' word and phrase choices sending? 1.
Scope of the research A variety of publications, particularly educational resources like textbooks, contain gender prejudice. To the best of the author's knowledge, gender bias has never been covered in Vietnamese English textbooks. However, not all Vietnamese English textbooks mentioned in this study address gender prejudice. Furthermore, the study is hardly able to provide a thorough examination of gender bias in these English textbooks because it can also be depicted in other ways, including through illustrations.
Additionally, gender bias at all word, phrase, sentence, and discourse levels is not addressed in the studies. Consequently, the sole focus of this thesis is on linguistic gender bias at the word and phrase levels in texts found in the two most recent English language textbooks for secondary schools: Tiếng Anh 8, Tiếng Anh 9 by Hoang Van Van et al. Significance of the research 1. Theoretical significance In an effort to further our understanding of gender bias in language, this study focuses on linguistic gender prejudice in particular English teaching materials.