Does Classroom Interaction Encompass Gender Stereotyping? The Practice among Teachers in Kenya

Abstract

Gender and language studies have evolved from findings that exposed sexism in language to studies that consider paradigms such as dominance, difference and diversity in assessing the linguistic gender stereotypes in language. Research has established that there are certain stereotypes in language use which can be identified when males and females use language. This study set out to establish the extent to which these stereotypes are prevalent among Kenyan high school teachers and how it affects teaching and learning. The study adopted the qualitative research design. Schools, from where the teachers were sampled were identified through cluster and simple random sampling. Teachers were purposively sampled. Lesson observation which included recording, and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The researcher attended classes where the sampled teachers were teaching and recorded the lessons. The focus group discussion involved all the teachers in the sample.Data was analyzed using descriptions. One finding was that teachers frequently use stereotypical language in class. Another finding was that the gender stereotyping by teachers did not greatly impact teaching and learning, however, there could arise isolated cases where students were psychologically affected and could not do well in class.

Keywords: Gender, Stereotype, Language, Teaching, Learning,