Teaching English with a gender perspective through the adaptation of The Wife of Bath
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/06rw5053Keywords:
English, gender equality, gender roles, Wife of Bath, foreign languagesAbstract
This article presents the design of a teaching proposal for the fourth year of secondary education based on the story of The Wife of Bath as a resource for integrating communicative competence and critical reflection on gender roles. The main objective of this work is to develop a design protocol based on the principles of inclusion, critical literacy and the communicative approach. Methodologically, it describes the context, learning objectives, phased sequencing, materials used and an a priori assessment plan developed using rubrics, questionnaires and a checklist for critical thinking and non-stereotypical representation. The results suggest that this design has potential in the English classroom for promoting reading and literary comprehension, the expression of opinions, and critical analysis of representations of gender roles. Furthermore, this proposal can be adapted to other levels and constitutes a useful tool for promoting meaningful learning oriented towards critical thinking.
References
Abednia, A., Crookes, G.V. (2019). Critical Literacy as a Pedagogical Goal in English Language Teaching. In: Gao, X. (eds) Second Handbook of English Language Teaching. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02899-2_14
Almeida, F. (2017). Experience with entrepreneurship learning using serious games. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 12(2), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v12i2.1939
Bland, J. (2013). Children's literature and learner empowerment. Children and teenagers in English language education. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Chapin, J. y Warne, V. (2020). Gender Responsive Pedagogy in Higher Education: a framework. International Network for Advancing Science and Policy, pp. 1-10. https://www.inasp.info/publications/gender-responsive-pedagogy-higher-education
Collie, J. y Slater, S. (1987). Literature in the language classroom: a resource book of ideas and activities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Companion volume. Council of Europe Portal. Recuperado de https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/cefr-companion-volume-and-its-language-versions
Day, R. y Bamford, J. (2002). Top ten principles for Teaching Extensive Reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 14(2), pp. 136-141. Recuperado de https://www2.hawaii.edu/~readfl/rfl/October2002/day/day.html https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/66761
Dinshaw, C. (1999). Chaucer's Sexual Poetics. University of Wisconsin Press.
España. Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. (2022). Real Decreto 217/2022, de 29 de marzo, por el que se establece la ordenación y las enseñanzas mínimas de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. BOE núm. 76, 30 de marzo de 2022. Recuperado de https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-4975
Ghosn, I. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in primary school. ELT Journal, 56(2), pp. 172-179). https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.2.172
Goel, N. y Chauhan, S. (2019). Rolling a role: enhancing critical thinking and communication skills. Literacy information and computer education journal, 10(1), pp. 3114-3118. https://doi.org/10.20533/licej.2040.2589.2019.0408
Janks, H. (2013). Critical literacy in teaching and research. Education Inquiry, 4(2), 225-242.https://doi.org/10.3402/edui.v4i2.22071
Hansen, E. (1992). Chaucer and the Fictions of Gender. Berkeley: University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520328204
Khatib, M., Rezaei, S. y Derakhshan, A. (2011). Literature in EFL/ESL Classroom. English Language Teaching, 4(1), pp. 201-208. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n1p201
Ko, M. (2013). A case study of critical literacy in EFL Reading Class in Taiwan. Language Teaching Research, 17(1), pp. 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168812457537
Lee, J. F. (2014). A hidden curriculum in Japanese EFL textbooks: Gender representation. Linguistics and Education, 27, 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2014.07.002
Ly, C. K. (2024). Applying Role-Play Technique on Improving EFL Students' Language Learning: A Case Study at a Vietnamese University. Journal of knowledge learning and science technology, 3(4), pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.60087/jklst.v3.n4.p1
Mann, J. (2002). Feminizing Chaucer. Boydell and Brewer, D. S. Brewer.https://doi.org/10.1515/9781846150722
Marinaccio, J (2012). The Most Effective Pre-reading Strategies for Comprehension. Education Masters. Paper 208
Martínez Chinin, J. K. (2025). La literatura como medio para el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en estudiantes técnicos. Sapiens Discoveries International Journal, 3(1), e-3102. https://doi.org/10.71068/m0sgje19
Nation, I.S.P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63(1), pp. 59-82. https://doi.org/10.1353/cml.2006.0049
North, B. (2021). The CEFR Companion Volume. What's new and what might it imply for teaching/learning and for assessment? CEFR Journal: Research and Practice, 4, pp. 5-24. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTSIG.CEFR4-1
OECD/EU (2023). Education and inclusion in education: finding strength through diversity. París: OECD Publishing.
Paran, A. (2008). The role of literature in instructed foreign language learning and teaching: an evidence-based survey. Language Teaching, 41(4), pp. 465-496. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026144480800520X
Park, Y. (2011). Using news articles to build a critical literacy classroom in an EFL setting. TESOL Journal, 2(1), pp. 24-51. https://doi.org/10.5054/tj.2011.244134
Pérez Buelvas, H. G. (2024). Enhancing Reading Skills through Scaffolding Strategies in Eighth-Grade EFL Students. HOW, 31(2), 70-88.https://doi.org/10.19183/how.31.2.787
Robin, B. R. (2016). The power of digital storytelling to support teaching and learning. Digital Education Review, 30, pp. 17-29. http://greav.ub.edu/der/
Sun, L. (2019). Words and actions: an EFL teacher's critical literacy goals and their enactment in a reading class in China. Multicultural Education, 26(3-4), pp. 10-16. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1239628
UNESCO (2020). FAWE, UNGEI, UNICEF & UNESCO-IICBA. (2020). Gender- Responsive Pedagogy: A Toolkit for Teachers and Schools (2nd ed.). Recuperado de https://www.unicef.org/esa/media/6726/file/grp-a-toolkit-for-teachers-and- schools-2020.pdf
Xerri, D., & Xerri Agius, S. (2012). The use of literature in ELT. ETAS Journal, 30(1), 18-23. https://www.danielxerri.com/uploads/4/5/3/0/4530212/etas_winterjournal_2012__xerri___xerri_agius.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Laura Melero-Carnero
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
