Teaching Them to be Upstanding Members of Society is My Damn Job! : An Interview Study about Working with Gender and Novels in the English Classroom

Abstract: This study aims to examine teachers’ experiences when working with novels to discuss gender related questions in their EFL-classrooms. The research questions this study aims to answer are which prerequisites and limitations affect teachers when working with novels and gender in the EFL-classroom and what are the benefits and negatives when working with novels and gender in the EFL-classroom. The data was gathered through seven semi-structured interviews with teachers from both upper- and lower secondary school. The theoretical approach that was used to analyse the answers received from the interviews were gender studies, with a focus on ‘overing’, and critical literacy.  The results from this study show that teachers have an interest in working with novels and gender related questions. The study also shows that there are both prerequisites and limitations that affect how teachers can work with gender and novels in their classroom, a few of the examples brought up in the results are: meeting resistance from the students in the classroom regarding these issues, which class sets of novels are available, the teacher’s personal interest in the subject, and if there is sufficient support to teach about novels and gender. Finally, it can be discerned that a teacher’s own commitment affects how much gender related questions are incorporated when working with novels.