ERIC Number: EJ1385037
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1682-3206
EISSN: EISSN-1947-9417
A Social Semiotic Analysis of Gender Representations in Biology Textbooks for Upper Secondary Schools in China
Education as Change, v27 Article 12791 2023
The gender gap remains an issue in the biological education community. This study explores the extent to which an egalitarian gender ideology, encapsulated in five biological science textbooks for upper secondary schools in China, manifests through representational, interactive and compositional meanings of social semiotic theory. The findings reveal that females in the textbooks tend to be depicted as passive and inferior to males. More males are represented as playing pioneering and leading roles, as opposed to females, who are cast in assistant and subordinate roles in professional activities. The gendered messages delivered have the potential to disempower female students' career aspirations and adversely regulate their perceptions and projections of gender identities in biological science.
Descriptors: Science Education, Biology, Secondary School Science, Textbooks, Gender Differences, Sex Stereotypes, Textbook Content, Gender Bias, Foreign Countries, Ideology
Education as Change. The Centre for Education Rights and Transformation, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. Tel: +27-11-5591148; e-mail: journal-ed@uj.ac.za; Web site: https://unisapressjournals.co.za/index.php/EAC
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A