Gender Equity in EFL Classroom Teacher-Pupil Interactions in a Public School System in Addis Ababa
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers‟ attention in mixed-sex EFL classrooms focusing on the frequency and length of utterances in academic and non-academic moves, display and referential questions, student responding moves, etc. through textual analysis of video recorded lessons. The subjects were grade 10 Bole Senior Secondary School regular students. The study employed the textual analysis approach based on the application of Sinclair and Coulthard IRF model. Six EFL lessons taught by three female and three male teachers were transcribed, analyzed and the basic questions were coded into the adapted model. There were 276 (150 female and 126 male) students, aged 16-17 in the classrooms observed. The observation data were described both quantitatively and qualitatively, and were described in terms of the amount of share male/female students received. This means that attempts were made to determine whether male or female students received as much teacher attention as or more or less attention than the share they deserved. These figures were further statistically analyzed using chi-square and the t-test methods. The chi-square test was used to determine the differential significance level of male and/or female teachers‟ attention to male and female students. The t-test was employed to examine the significance difference in interaction in length of utterances and the teacher‟s wait time with male or female students. The findings indicated that male teachers paid more attention to male students in the instances of academic moves. Female teachers, however, paid more attention to male students only in the amount of non-academic moves. In all other cases, female teachers paid equal attention to male and female students.
Downloads
References
Allwright, D. (1988). Observation in the Language Classroom. London: Longman Group. Retrieved on 24 March 2006 from http://www.com/onetooneanalysis/pdf.html. Allwright, D. and Bailey, K. (1991). Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Atkins, A. (2001). Sinclair and Coulthard Model in a One-to-one Classroom: Analysis. Chaudron, C. (1977). A descriptive Model of Discourse in Corrective Treatment of Learners’ Errors.’ Language Learning, 27/1, 29-47.
Cundle, N. (2001). What We Preach? Stated Beliefs about Communicative Language Teaching and Classroom Questioning. The Language Teacher. Retrieved on March 10, 2006 from http://www.jalt.publications.org/ tlt/ articles/2001/05/cundle.
Davt, B. & Clarke, J. (1988). Sexism in Schools: a New Look. Educational Review, Vol.40, .41-49. Elizabeth Ayalew. (2003). Faculty Gender and Classroom Interaction in EFL Classes. The Ethiopian Journal of Education, Vol. XXIII (2,), 63-101. Farooq, M. (2000). Examining a Male Teachers Attention in a Mixed-sex EFL Japanese High School Classroom. University of Birmingham (Unpublished MA Thesis). French, J. and P. French, P. (1984). Gender Imbalances in the Classroom: An Interaction Account. Educational Research, 26, PP. 127-136. Howe, C. (1997). Gender and Classroom Interaction: A Research Review. SCRE Publication 138. Great Britain: The Scottish Council for Research in Education. Hussen, T. & Postlethwait (eds) T.N (1994). Encyclopedia of Education Vol. 9. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd. Kelly, A. (1988). Gender differences in Teacher, Pupil Interactions: A Meta Analytic Review. Research in Education, Vol.39, PP. 1-23. Kibrework Lemma (2007). Gender difference, Sensitivity and Effect in Performance of Female Students in EFL Classrooms in AAU. Unpublished MA Thesis. Lezashwork Teketel. (1997). English Language Teachers Attitude towards Treatment of Female Students. (Unpublished MA Thesis) Addis Ababa University.
Liao, X. (2001). Information Gap in Communicative Classrooms. Language Teaching Forum, 9/4, 38-41. Malamah-Thomas, A. (1987). Classroom Interaction. Oxford: Oxford University press.
Malouf, R. (1995). Towards an analysis of a Multi –party Discourse. Retrieved on April 23, 2006 from http://hpsb.stanford.edu/rob/ talk/node2.html). Perrot, E. (1982). Effective Teaching: A Practical Guide to Improve Your Teaching. Singapore: Longman Pub Ltd. Rowe, M.B. (1986). Wait Time: Slowing Down may be a way of Speeding up. Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 37, PP.43-50. Sadker, M. & Sadker, D. (1986). Sexism in the Classroom: From grade School to Graduate School. The Tutor, Vol.2, No.3 Sadker, M. & Sadker D. (1997). Teachers, Schools, and Society (4th ed.). New York: Semunesh Abebe. (1997). Female Students’ Level of Assertiveness and Their verbal Interaction in EFL Classrooms in High Schools in Addis Ababa. (Unpublished MA Thesis). Addis Ababa University. Stiles, L. (2002). Gender Equity in the Classroom and the Effect of Conscious Inhibition of Gender Bias. Retrieved on January 7, 2006 from (http:// www.lyon. edu/ web data /group/scraf/stiles 202002.htm.
Sunderland, J. (1994). Differential Teacher Treatment by Gender in EFL Classrooms using Ex-participants Perspectives. In J. Sunderland (ed). Exploring Gender. Questions and Implications for English Language Education. New York: Percentile Hall. Sunderland, J. (1998). New ‘Dimensions in the study of Language Education and Learner Gender. http:// www. Ling. Cans. Ac. Uk/groups/ crile/does/crile 43sunderland.pdf. Swann, J. & D.Graddol .1988. „Gender Inequities in Classroom Talk.‟ English in Education, Vol. 22, PP. 48-65. Tamene Kitila. (2000). Classroom Verbal Behavior and Learning Opportunities in Selected Secondary School EFL Classroom. (Unpublished PhD Thesis). Addis Ababa University. Yepez, M. (1994). An Observation of Gender-specific Teacher behavior in the ESL Classroom. Sex Roles, 30(1/2), 121-133. Yeshimebet Mersha. (1997). Gender Differentiations Reflected in Secondary School Teachers' Behavior during Classroom Interaction and Its Implication to the Academic status of Female Students. Addis Ababa University (Unpublished MA Thesis). Yoseph Mezgebu. (2007). Impact of Teachers’ attitude on Involvement of Female Students in EFL Classroom Interaction. Unpublished MA Thesis.
