The Portrayal of Gender in the Secondary English Texts and its Effects on Students

The purpose of this study is to answer the question: how does the portrayal of gender in secondary English texts and how it effects student’s perception of gender? Critical literacy practices used during the instruction of texts provide students with the opportunities to examine how the literature effects their perceptions of gender. Through classroom observations, a teacher interview, and small group sessions, it was found that teaching practices are the primary influence of how students perceive gender, not the texts that they read. As a result, teachers should incorporate a critical literacy pedagogy into their classes to help students understand their gender perceptions