Gender representations in physical sciences textbooks: student teachers’ pedagogical responses.

Abstract

This research aimed to analyse the representations of gender in Physical Sciences textbooks and explore student teachers’ pedagogical plans for mitigating biased messages found in texts designed for science teaching and learning. The study adopted tenets of the critical paradigm and drew on theories of the Social Construction of Gender, Feminist Post Structuralist Discourse Analysis, and Critical Theory as the main analytical lenses. The data was produced and analysed in two phases. Firstly, gender representations in the selected Physical Sciences textbooks were analysed using critical discourse analysis. The findings show that the textbooks are gendered masculine and promote Western ideals, which implies inadequate decolonisation of the science curriculum. The text framing depicted men in roles that are prone to conveying a message of male supremacy and female inferiority. This was seen through the overrepresentation of men as producers of scientific knowledge. The studied textbooks did not acknowledge the contributions of female scientists. Conversely, the inventions of male scientists were consistently highlighted and used as an introduction to the majority of topics covered in these textbooks. Secondly, student teachers from one University were sampled to explore their pedagogical responses to gender representations in chosen Physical Sciences textbooks and what factors influence these interpretations. I employed qualitative methods through a blended approach, including face-to-face interviews and telephonic interviews through WhatsApp voice messaging. I utilised thematic analysis to analyse and interpret data and identify key themes for presenting the findings. The research found that student teachers identified ways in which the content of studied textbooks promotes traditional masculine norms and negative societal stereotypes that undermine and devalue women, which could lead to girls dropping out of the Physical Sciences stream. The omission of women's input in the development of scientific knowledge in specific textbooks was regarded as a type of gender-based discrimination against women. The engagements with the student teachers indicate that they can be helpful agents of curriculum decolonisation and degendering, as was evident in their delineations of self-efficacy to disrupt gender norms and stereotypes from Physical Sciences textbooks. They proposed strategies to disrupt gender norms and negative stereotypes in science textbooks. By challenging deeply ingrained masculine norms disseminated through Physical Sciences textbooks, there is apossibility of enhancing the presence and participation of women in career fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).