A cultural materialist analysis of gender representation in the first-year high school textbook Landscapes in literature 1 and its participation in gender practice that concerns the institute of women's studies of St. Scholastica's College

• Main Author: Lutjens, Sven
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2007
• Subjects: Gender identity > Study and teaching (Secondary) > Philippines; Women > Study and teaching (Secondary) > Philippines; Women and literature > Philippines; Women's studies > Philippines; Comparative Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2295
• Institution: De La Salle University

Using the framework of cultural materialism, this study investigates whether the mission-vision statements of the Institute of Women's Studies, which belongs to the St. Scholastica system, are implemented and put into practice by the editor of the first-year high school textbook of Philippine Literature in English Landscapes in Literature I. The researcher (1) analyzes ten short stories and seven poems represented in Landscapes in Literature I by applying the theory of feminism, (2) evaluates the guide questions and activities that follow each literary work on the basis of questions that may inquire into possible gender bias in the represented stories or poems, and (3) surveys (a) the representation of the authors whose literary pieces are represented in the textbook in terms of their gender, as well as (b) so-called INFOsearch boxes which follow some of the selected works. In short, the study concludes the following: Many short stories and poems that represent stereotypical gender roles are not adequately discussed in the activities in terms of gender bias. The absence of female characters in literary pieces may indicate gender bias. With their absence the women are silenced. From a feminist perspective, this issue should have been addressed in the guide questions. Literary pieces with women or adolescent girls as protagonists are not adequately discussed in terms of their themes. Only 25 percent of the total number of individual authors whose works are represented in Landscapes for Literature I are female. Beaing in mind the findings, the researcher recommends to: Review the selections of short stories and poems represented in Landscapes in Literature I and include more female authors and works featuring feminist perspectives. Revise the guide questions. New guide questions should include critical questions referring to paragraphs of gender representation in the represented literary texts to provide meaningful activities with reference to the student's own experience. Last, the researcher would like to emphasize the importance of further research related to gender bias in textbooks and in the classroom environment.