How textbook pictures describe gender roles: Case studies of general studies and technology studies

The textbook is an integral part of curriculum and a basic tool for teaching and learning. Textbooks are means to transmit societal knowledge, values and attitudes from one generation to the next. Pictures in the textbooks are important as they are part of the backdrop against which the texts of the textbooks are to be construed by the students. This paper discusses picture portrayal of gender roles in textbooks in relation to personal image, family role, and socio-economic status in the General Studies (P.1 – P.6) and Technology Studies (S.1 – S.3). A focused sample design will be employed for the selection of commonly used textbooks in the subjects of General Studies and Technology Studies. Gender roles in the pictures of the selected textbooks will be examined against a coding frame developed by the researchers. Implications of the gender role descriptions will be discussed and recommendations for pedagogy and a better use of textbooks will be made.