Gender disparities in Chinese middle school science textbooks: A semiotic analysis

Abstract

Gender representations in school textbooks can perpetuate biases or promote equity, influencing students' academic engagement and career aspirations. This is particularly important in China, where gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education present a complex picture that evolves from primary school to higher education. This study investigates gender representation in 149 human images from 12 Chinese middle school science textbooks. Unlike traditional quantitative methods, it employs a novel approach that combines a social semiotics framework with a large language model, enabling a deeper exploration of implicit gender biases in textbook content. The findings suggest an underrepresentation of females compared with males, as well as distinct gender differences in the role distribution of males and females. Findings from the analyses of interactive and compositional meanings further reveal gender differences but not always as expected. These results underscore the impact of cultural and educational norms on textbook content, showing that Chinese textbooks align with both traditional and changing gender norms. This study contributes to the academic discourse on gender bias in educational materials by highlighting the intersection of visual and textual gender representations. The paper concludes by suggesting areas for future research and ways to develop textbook content that fosters gender equality, potentially influencing future science curricula and policies.