This paper analyzed gender discriminatory factors in Korean language textbooks in order to develop more desirable Korean textbooks in which the values of gender equality and diversity are respected from the perspective of global citizenship education....
This paper analyzed gender discriminatory factors in Korean language textbooks in order to develop more desirable Korean textbooks in which the values of gender equality and diversity are respected from the perspective of global citizenship education.
To this end, a total of 40 textbooks in 3 types of Korean language textbooks including <Sejong Korean>(2022) were analyzed for language materials and visual materials such as illustrations and photos in the textbooks, and what gender-discrimination factors appeared by textbook and level.
As a result of the analysis, it was found that men and women were generally balanced in the frequency of characters and the number of utterance sentences in the dialogue, except for the advanced level of male-oriented <Yonsei University> textbooks. However, there was a different imbalance depending on the textbook or level in the frequency of gender conversations, and in the frequency of initiating & leading conversation.
In the dialogues, all three types of Korean textbooks did not consistently show typical differences in male and female speech act described in previous studies, but it was confirmed that some speech acts of men and women were not balanced by level.
In terms of conversation topics, the <Seoul National University> textbooks revealed gender stereotypes and imbalances by showing differences in conversation topics between men and women. However, the <Korean Language Institute> textbooks did not show such standardized differences, but showed an imbalance centered on female speakers in most topics. The <Yonsei University> textbooks showed typical differences between men and women in topics related to ‘social’, but women were biased in topics related to ‘individual’.
In the analysis of gender occupations and activity types, typical gender stereotypes and imbalances were also confirmed. The gender occupation and activity types were classified into 12 categories each. Imbalance and gender stereotypes were observed, with differences ranging from approximately 1.5 to 14 times in 6 categories for gender occupation and 6 categories for gender activity types of <Korean Language Institute>, 9 and 10 categories of <Seoul National University>, and 12 and 11 categories of <Yonsei University>, respectively.
In addition, other typical gender stereotypes and gender -separated thinking were confirmed, such as the standardized expressions of men and women's characteristics, appearance- oriented expressions for women, representation or invisualization of either gender, and cosmetic discrimination.
Such gender discrimination elements of Korean textbooks are a kind of potential curriculum that allows foreign learners to unconsciously learn such discrimination and prejudice against men and women. Therefore, for gender-equal education it is necessary to present equal and balanced data that does not reveal gender discrimination. In addition, it is necessary to avoid a mindset that separates men and women, contrasting their characteristics, and to prevent the representation, visualization, and subordination of either man or woman. Instead, we should aim for a gender-neutral approach that embraces individual characteristics and diversity.