The Influence of the Teachers' Gender Difference on Classroom Interactions in Korean Elementary EFL Classrooms

Abstract

This study examines how the Korean elementary EFL classrooms are shaped differently according to the teachers' gender by analyzing classroom discourse. Four male teachers and four female teachers were observed and audio-recorded three times each, and 24 classroom discourses were analyzed in total. Based upon Boulima's (1999) Foreign Language Interaction Analysis System (FLIAS),negotiated interactions which are thought to be crucial for foreign language learning were examined focusing on their discourse functions. The results showed that male and female teachers both used negotiated interactions about 30% of the whole classrooms discourse, but with different purposes. Male teachers practiced more "text-oriented" negotiated interactions, whereas female teachers spent more time easing the classroom atmosphere and maintaining a good relationship with their students. This study is expected to provide us with an opportunity to rethink about the debates regarding the phenomenon of "feminization" of boys and the gender-related issues of English teachers in more critical way.