Available Online: 2 October 2020
Author/s:
Roohani, Ali*
Shahrekord University, Iran (roohani.ali@gmail.com)
Sheikhipour, Anahita
Shahrekord University, Iran (Anahita.sheikhipour@gmail.com
Farhang, Maryam
Shahrekord University, Iran (Mary.farhang67@gmail.com)
Abstract:
Instructional textbooks can be powerful tools which construct our social identities. Also, the way males and females are represented in the instructional textbooks can affect the pictures that learners develop about males and females in the society. The study, thus, investigated the visual representation of gender in power positions and examined the frequency of the ethnic groups in power positions in English Hotel Conversations, a textbook on hotel management and tourism. To this end, content analysis was carried out through counting and analyzing the pictures/images of the textbook in terms of power, gender, and ethnic groups. The results of picture analysis indicated that the pictures of males in positions of power were more than those of females. Moreover, most of the high prestigious jobs were represented through male characters. Ethnic portrayal was another important social factor in the textbooks. Only a small number of pictures represented the people from various ethnic groups. The findings suggest that this hotel management textbook needs to be adapted to include various ethnic groups and balance power equality.
Keywords: textbooks; gender; power; ethnicity
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2020.5048
Cite this article:
Roohani, A., Sheikhipour, A., & Farhang, M. (2020). Diversity and power in the English hotel conversations textbook. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 9(7), 31-43. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2020.5048
*Corresponding Author