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.