Gender in ELT Textbooks in Jordan: Content and Consumption

This study explored gender representation at the levels of content and consumption in EFL secondary school textbooks in Jordan. First, a traditional qualitative-quantitative content analysis of an EFL textbook was conducted, followed by a multimodal semiotic analysis (Weninger & Kiss, 2013) of four image-text-task excerpts. The content analysis revealed stereotypical gender representation and male dominance, with occasional non-traditional female roles and gender-neutral language. While content analysis offered surface-level insights, multimodal semiotic analysis provided deeper understanding of how image-text-task relations may guide learners’ interpretation of gender roles. Further, a questionnaire explored 45 students’ responses to textbook extracts and different pedagogic tasks. Learners’ responses showed that without prompting, learners are unlikely to notice and reflect on gender representation, and that meaning-making processes are shaped by personal experiences not accounted for in conventional textbook analysis. It was concluded that progressive texts alone fall short of ensuring learners reflect on gender representation without tasks and classroom interactions that foster critical engagement. Moreover, classroom observations of six EFL lessons across mixed grades revealed a consistent teacher-centred, exam-driven approach with minimal critical engagement or reflection on gender representation. Learners faced challenges with literacy and comprehension, while critical thinking activities were often skipped. Gender-related interactions, when present, were brief and reinforced traditional roles. Follow-up teacher interviews showed openness to non-traditional representation conditional on its alignment with cultural and religious boundaries, but teachers’ dismissal of critical pedagogy in general stemmed from teacher-related, learner-related, and curriculum-related constraints. These findings highlight how teacher mediation and context shape the consumption of textbook content, underscoring the need for analysis that extends beyond surface content to include classroom dynamics and production processes. Recommendations for future research and the implications of the findings for local policy makers, textbook writers, and teachers are discussed