Browsing by Subject "ihmisen biologia"

Gender and sex are the most common criteria to classify people in our society. Along with legal and national core curriculum changes perceptions of gender and sex and their diversity has changed. This change is also reflected in learning materials. Learning materials play an important role in teaching and in the perceptions that students form about the role of gender and ability of different genders to influence society and professions. Gender inequality for men has been evident according to previous textbook studies. Gender stereotypes are also explicit. In this research the research material are human biology textbooks for secondary students during the past three national core curriculums. The purpose of this research is to examine how the gender, sex and their diversity are represented in human biology textbooks. Temporal variation is also examined. The qualitative content analysis was used as a principal method to analyse the data. Based on that method citations have been collected from textbooks. To compress the collected data the citations have been classified into different classes that explain the differences between sexes. The final classification has been made based on whether the differences between sexes appear in anatomy and physiology or behaviour and whether they are explained by biological or non-biological factors. Besides this, the collected data has been quantified and prototypes of male and female has been compiled. In quantitative analysis the textbooks visual representation and gendered words are also counted and analysed by simple quantitative methods. Based on this study the sex and gender are seen as a biological feature in human biology books. The differences between sexes are mainly affected by hormones whether the difference is in behaviour or anatomy and physiology. Genes also play an important role when differences in anatomy and physiology are explained between sexes. Psychological and cultural factors also explain a lot of differences in behaviour. Feminine characters and words were overrepresented in the textbooks compared to masculine characters. These are the result of the major role of motherhood and pregnancy in biology textbooks. The word mother was also used widely. In older textbooks the gender is represented more in texts and the differences between sexes are brought out more than in later textbooks. The gender stereotypes are also more evident in older textbooks and the stereotypical features are linked more to sexes, like conscientiousness in women and competitiveness in men. The gendered terms like “feminine” or “masculine” are also more present in older textbooks. Gender diversity is more talked about in later books, which is expected, as it is present in the latest national core curriculums. Otherwise the gender diversity is not very visible. Heteronormativity is present in all books, but for example the sexuality is treated more subtly than in older books. The temporal variation can be explained by the social change that is reflected in curriculums and textbooks. The textbooks should provide the most diverse picture possible of gender and its diversity. Therefore, images representing non-stereotypical and heteronormative gender roles should also be selected for books, and gendered expressions should be used deliberately in texts. However, it is important for gender equality that gender is not completely erased from textbooks. In gender-sensitive teaching, it is important that gender differences are not considered the norm, but they are also not hidden, but learn to identify gender stereotypes and their effects on one's own actions. There is no wrong way to be a boy or a girl. This material could be expanded by exploring the gender roles described in the textbooks as well. In addition, the research material could be compared to health information textbooks or other aspects of equality could be considered.