CONSTRUCTING GENDER IN THE EFL CLASSROOM How Swedish Upper Secondary School Students Perform Gender in Oral Communication

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine if, and in that case how, Swedish upper secondary school students perform gender in power-related ways in oral communication in a foreign language in a classroom setting. The material used consists of transcriptions of audiorecorded semi-authentic interaction between 25 young learners of English. The method is mainly based on quantitative analysis in which four specific variables are examined, but relevant instances that illustrate gender-specific power-related patterns are analyzed qualitatively. The results of this study show the same tendencies as findings of previous research: the male students adapted a more dominant conversational style, whereas the female students were generally more cooperative in their interactional style.