Sexist stereotypes in the language textbooks of the Greek primary school: a multidimensional approach

School textbooks are the main means of instruction and the main tool for the organisation of the teachers’ pedagogic practices. Stereotypes concerning the two genders are inscribed in the curriculum and become evident inside the school textbooks. The present study, through a content analysis of the Greek-language textbooks used in the third grade of the Greek primary school, examines the existence of gender stereotypes throughout the full range of these books. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with a sample of teachers who have taught the particular subject in the past are carried out. The findings show that there is a need for evaluation of the existing language textbooks in primary schools, with the aim of promoting a more gender-balanced learning material. Moreover, the classroom teachers raise the need for the promotion of initial as well as in-service training for teachers on issues of ‘gender stereotypes’, ‘language sexism’ and ‘gender-mainstreaming policies’.     

An analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England

The paper details the findings of a study which focused on the analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England. The paper argues that whilst inclusive education could facilitate the incorporating of disabled pupils into mainstream schools, there needs to be deeper examination as to how this transition should take place for children aged 3–13. The paper suggests that in such examinations, school textbooks might be of significance in familiarising non-disabled pupils, teachers and authorities with the issues related to disability and disabled pupils.     

Gender in schools and culture: taking stock of education in Italy

When politicians discuss Italy's position in terms of achieving equality between men and women, the school environment is rarely called into question or mentioned. This is despite the fact that gender inequality remains a prominent feature of the Italian education system. The reason for this failure to perceive the problem, and the consequent lack of investment in policies for gender equality in education, derives from a massive misunderstanding: school is perceived by the public and the political class as one of the few environments within the highly sexist Italian social fabric in which equality has been achieved. On closer examination, however, it is clear that the Italian school is merely the image of a sexist society which in turn acts as the driving force for a traditional and stereotypical view of male and female roles. This article will discuss this perspective and investigate three areas of education that are problematic in gender terms: gendered educational choices; sexist stereotypes transmitted through textbooks; and the lack of adequate training for teachers.     

Socio-economic segregation of disadvantaged children between schools in Pakistan: comparing the state and private sector

The distribution of children in different school-types and regions in Pakistan suggests that access and opportunities in education are not evenly accessible for many children. Segregation at school level is an important concern for equity and social justice because the adverse effects of segregation increase the pre-existing gap in opportunities between rich and poor, preventing the disadvantaged children from equal access to better life and success opportunities. This paper presents an analysis of segregation by poverty and pupil performance between schools, with a comparison of private and government schools in Pakistan. The data obtained for this study is from the Annual Status of Education Report 2014 survey of households and schools. The analysis includes 27,979 children aged 5–16 years for whom the information could be linked with their schools, and parents’ socio-economic status. Segregation levels have been assessed using the Gorard Segregation Index. The results show that segregation by academic performance is higher than segregation by poverty, and segregation by poverty is higher in the private sector compared to government schools, whereas segregation by performance is greater in the government schools. A regional level analysis shows that segregation in urban areas is higher in both school types compared to rural areas. In addition to insisting on full attendance for children of school age, the government should work towards decreasing segregation in the state sector, perhaps also involving an increase in the number of schools maintained, and therefore reducing the need for cheap private provision.     

The representation of the Cold War in three Estonian history textbooks

The article looks at the discursive strategies different Estonian history textbooks employ to represent the Cold War period, and the ‘commonsense’ ideologies instilled through these representations. The textbooks analysed include two history books dating back to the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic and, for contrast, one written during the second period of Estonia’s independence. This lends the analysis a temporal perspective, making it possible to look at the changes over time and differences between the attitudes projected. The study focuses on the rhetoric and metaphors used in connection with the Cold War period. The practices of different textbooks are compared to one another using discourse analysis. The purpose is to bring out the commonsense elements of the textbooks’ discourse. The goal is to understand the ideological processes in these texts’ discourse and how they (in)directly intend to shape the reader’s worldview through language and rhetoric.     

Religious tolerance in secondary Islamic Education textbooks in Kuwait

ABSTRACT

With widespread media coverage of religious ‘extremism’, there is a great deal of interest in how religious identities and principles of tolerance – or intolerance – are learned and manifested. The current study investigates the extent to which high school Islamic Education textbooks reflect Islamic religious tolerance, and how this topic presented. A content analysis for religious-tolerance topics was conducted in the Islamic Education textbooks in Kuwaiti high schools; the results show that tolerance is mentioned much more often than intolerance, but there is still room for improvement.     

Gender differences in use and preferences of agricultural information sources in Pakistan

Purpose: Rural advisory services ensure agricultural information is disseminated to rural populations, yet they are less accessible to women. This research provides insight on gender differences in information access by investigating frequency of use and preference of agricultural information sources by gender in a rural setting, differentiated according to literacy and age. Design/Methodology/approach: This study interviewed 401 male/female individuals in farm households in Jhang and Bahawalpur district of Punjab, Pakistan in 2016. Findings: Men and women farmers’ use and preferences in accessing information sources are extremely different. Women hardly use sources for agricultural information, and value interpersonal communication from informal sources. In contrast, men use and value official agencies more. Radio, surprisingly, was very rarely used, contradicting previous findings of research elsewhere. Age and literacy affect differences between women more than it does between men, particularly for convenient locations to access information. Practical implications The study identified and refined major gender differences regarding use and preference for agricultural information in relation to age and literacy, and helps to articulate options to improve gender equality of access to agricultural information in Pakistan. Theoretical implications: The focus and outcomes regarding gender intersecting with age and literacy in agricultural information access imply the need for more refined socio-economic models, discerning and interrelating gender and other social dimensions beyond the standard of male-headed households. Originality/value: This paper adds to the growing body of evidence on information access according to gender, highlighting the need to investigate deeper socio-cultural issues around age and literacy.     

Problem solving in Swedish mathematics textbooks for upper secondary school

The aim of this study is to analyse how mathematical problem solving is represented in mathematical textbooks for Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis comprises dominating Swedish textbook series, and relates to uncovering (a) the quantity of tasks that are actually mathematical problems, (b) their location in the chapter, (c) their difficulty level, and (d) their context. Based on an analysis of 5,722 tasks from the area of calculus, it is concluded that the textbooks themselves contain very few tasks that can be defined as mathematical problems, and that those that are mathematical problems are found at the end of a chapter at the most difficult level, and are presented in a pure mathematical context. Implications are discussed.     

The Impact of Child Care on Gender Role Development and Gender Stereotypes

Research has shown that gender role development is socially constructed and learned from birth. In this study, the impact of child care and the interactions that take place there are examined, with a focus on gender behavior and stereotypes. Observation data and analysis are presented. Themes representing gender stereotypes and the breaking of gender barriers are examined, and the role that caregivers can play in the fostering of gender-fair behaviors is discussed.     

Educate to hate: the use of education in the creation of antagonistic national identities in India and Pakistan

In states that are diverse, issues of national identity formation and who belongs and how they belong can, and often do, change over time. This article analyses how education was used as a tool to artificially create antagonistic national identities based on religious and ethnic definitions of who was Indian or Pakistani. It focuses in particular on how in India the BJP led government (1998–2004) and in Pakistan the government under General Zia‐ul‐Haq (1977–1988) rewrote the curricula and changed textbook content in order to create the ‘other’ in order to suit their ideology and the politics of the day. Drawing on the original textbooks, extensive fieldwork interviews in both countries and a study of recent literature the paper argues that fundamentalization in general and the fundamentalization of textbooks in particular are state controlled mechanisms through which to control society. They can also have serious international consequences, as two antagonistic national identities oppose each other's definition of history and self.     

High school textbooks in turkey from teachers’ and students’ perspectives: The case of history textbooks

This study investigates how teachers and students assess the textbooks they use in history courses at the high school level in Turkey. Through a survey questionnaire, teachers and students were asked their perceptions of the textbooks. Then a sub-sample of the teachers and students were interviewed to collect more in-depth data on their assessment of the textbooks. The results indicated that the textbooks assist the teacher in instructional planning and in preparing exams, and help the students deal with the content. However, both teachers and students point to problems in textbooks in terms of their physical aspects, content presentation and organization, language, teaching and learning aids, and their impact on students. The textbooks focus mostly on transmission of knowledge, and they are found ineffective in leading students to read the information with interest and develop an understanding of the content area. They are found ineffective in developing students’ thinking skills and positive attitudes toward the subject.     

百年小学语文教科书中的新疆印象

小学语文教科书是少年儿童的重要读物,潜移默化地影响着孩子的认知能力及道德品质.一百多年来的小学语文教科书中,都不乏新疆题材课文.新疆题材课文承担特殊的教育功能,是对小学生进行边疆教育的重要载体;同时,这些课文展现着不同时期的新疆风貌,是少年儿童认识新疆的重要渠道.     

古代蒙学教材的分类

中国古代蒙学教材是中华民族悠远灿烂文化的重要组成部分。对历代蒙学教材的分类,是了解古代蒙学教育体系的重要组成部分。中国古代最有代表性的蒙学教材大体可确定为50部,将其分为教育内容、教育功能、学习程度等几类。     

课堂中的“性别刻板印象”分析

性别刻板印象的普遍性和牢固性成为影响女性潜能发挥的因素之一。在此基础上,本文分析了课堂中"性别刻板印象",继而从后现代女性主义教育学的独特视角提出解决这一现象的对策。这一研究有利于对女性教育意识的提高,同时也有利于我国有效课堂教学的进行。     

从媒介语言中的性别定型现象看媒介研究的重要性

人们在辨认、理解和认同一些社会现象时,往往会受到长期以来形成的认识传统的影响。而在当今社会,人们的思维和认识传统的形成又和杂志、互联网、广播、影视等大众传播媒介的影响密不可分。本文通过对媒体中的性别角色定型现象的分析和对一份大学生调查问卷的研究,分析了大众传播媒介中的性别歧视现象,考察了年轻人对待传媒的性别角色定型现象的态度以及他们对这种现象的敏感性,进而阐述了媒介研究的重要性。     

Education of women with disabilities in Pakistan: enhanced agency,unfulfilled aspirations

This paper examines the extent to which the capability approach captures the complexity of the lives of young women with disabilities in Pakistan, particularly in relation to their education. Focusing on their educational experiences and outcomes, we examine the ways in which education shaped what these young women were able to achieve – what they wanted to do and be. In undertaking this research, we adopted a collaborative, qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews with six young women with disabilities. All these women were interesting and exemplary cases, given their very high levels of education. Our findings suggest that the capability approach provides a framework that is able to capture the educational experiences–outcomes journey of the young women. However, also interesting to note is how the expansion of their capabilities is bounded, primarily because their freedoms are intrinsically linked to their sociocultural positioning and largely negative perceptions of disability in the wider society.     

An analysis of South African Grade 9 natural sciences textbooks for their representation of nature of science

This article reports on an analysis and comparison of three South African Grade 9 (13–14 years) Natural Sciences textbooks for the representation of nature of science (NOS). The analysis was framed by an analytical tool developed and validated by Abd-El-Khalick and a team of researchers in a large-scale study on the high school textbooks in the USA. The three textbooks were scored on targeted NOS aspects on a scale of ?3 to +3 that reflected the explicitness with which these aspects were addressed. The analysis revealed that the textbooks poorly depict NOS, and in particular, there was scant attention given to the social dimension of science, science versus pseudoscience and the ‘myth of the scientific method’. The findings of this study are incommensurate with the strong emphasis in a reformed school science curriculum that underlies the need for learners to understand the scientific enterprise, and how scientific knowledge develops. In view of this, the findings of this research reinforce the need for a review on the mandate given to textbook publishers and writers so that a stronger focus be placed on the development of materials that better represent the tenets of NOS.     

浅析中学语文教材对古今字、通假字的处理

古今字和通假字是古书用字的两个不同概念,对两应严格区分。现行中学语课本对两的区分存在偏差。中学语教材对古今字和通假字处理应该规范化、科学化。     

人教版义务教育三年制初一数学教科书(试用修订版)简介

本文介绍根据教育部颁布的<九年义务教育全日制初级中学数学教学大纲>(试用修订版)修订的义务教育三年制初一数学教科书(人教版)的修订要点.     

Combating Gender Disparity in Education: Guidelines for Early Childhood Educators

Research has indicated a gender disparity in early education environments. This disparity has been recognized in terms of the student–teacher interaction, the differing types of play fostered, the varying use of praise and gender-specific messages, and the stereotypical messages evident in children's literature or play materials. The purpose of this article is to outline areas within a classroom that prospective teachers or childcare providers can update to reflect a more gender-fair environment. Suggestions for assessing classrooms for an antibiased environment are also offered.