The evolution of gender representation in two editions of a Spanish as a foreign language textbook

Textbooks play a crucial role in the foreign language learning and teaching process: they support teachers when preparing, organizing and evaluating the foreign language acquisition process. Additionally, they have a considerable bearing in the representation of culture and of gender roles (Fernández Darraz, 2010). A textbook should transmit the values associated with the language students are learning and it should moreover encourage critical work on these values in general. Commercial, political, or pedagogical considerations (Morales & Cassany, 2020) cannot justify an aseptic presentation of reality that does not consider the presence of women in egalitarian roles, or the questioning of the depiction of classical roles as opposed to a more diverse representation that would enable the promotion of equality in general terms (Fernández Darraz, 2010). On many occasions, this equity in representation is made explicit in the images selected (particularly in larger publishers, where particular care is taken regarding this aspect), since visual representations are more evident. But there are other aspects and components of a textbook that also account for these cultural features, such as texts, audios, and videos. Notwithstanding the importance of this representation, there seems to be a lack of significant studies that examine textbooks used in Spanish as a Foreign Language from a comprehensive social and gender perspective. Therefore, we present a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the text and images contained in two editions of a complete textbook (Aula Internacional 1 Nueva Edición (2013) and Aula Internacional Plus 1 (2020)) using the qualitative data analysis programme At las.ti. Based on this analysis, we highlight the social dimension of Spanish as a Foreign Language Teaching and focus on the relationship between language usage and texts and images contained in the textbook. We examine several variables such as gender representation, roles, age, and ethnicity using an inductive-deductive methodology. Through an in-depth analysis of the construction of gender equality in the book, we assess the use of inclusive language and the visual representations of gender in each textbook. Through the diachronic comparison of the two editions of the textbook, it will also be possible to assess whether there have been some accurate and precise changes in terms of gender representation or not. The analysis is guided by Critical Discourse Analysis, based on frequency and order of appearance. This analysis could be a valuable aid for teachers interested in encouraging a conscious transmission and questioning of the values associated with the culture under study through critical work on these values and themes in class.