Representation of gender in Solutions Elementary textbooks 2nd and 3rd editions
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate h ow males and females are represented in the Solutions Elementary students’ books (2 nd and 3 rd editions) by analyzing the transitivity system, which is a component in the ideational meaning of systemic functional grammar by Halliday & Matthiessen. 1 The data were collected from the reading texts, dialogues, grammar examples and exercises and were analyzed at the levels of clause and word group. The findings reveal that m ales are favored over females in terms of their visibility in participant roles. In both editions, males are more visible than females in the important roles of Actor, Carrier/Identified, Senser, Sayer and Behaver. However, a few changes in the female representation within the themes of sports and housework are spotted in the 3rd edition, which might indicate the textbook authors’ growing recognition of the gender stereotyping issue. These results highlight a need for teachers and learners to pay more attention to gender stereotyping conveyed in the ESL textbooks.