Gender and Diversity in EFL Textbook Dialogues: Interactional Structure and Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Focusing on English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) textbook dialogues, this study explores both gender equality and diverse identities from the perspective of interactional competence. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to examine gender differences in textbook dialogues concerning interactional patterns, and second, to derive pedagogical implications for gender equality and diverse identities in English-language teaching from the findings. This study proposes the initiation-response-follow-up (IRF) model of discourse structure as both an analytical framework and a pedagogical framework for exploring and incorporating interactional competence related to gender and diversity. Findings reveal an overall balance in the interactional patterns between females and males in the textbook dialogues, although major differences were found in relation to particular discourse features in the context of a specific type of dialogue initiation. These findings are discussed in relation to possible classroom strategies for incorporating the IRF discourse structure to inform the teaching of interactional competence and sociolinguistic skills, particularly as relevant to the linguistic dimension of promoting diverse identities.