Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Committee Chair

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Co-Chair

John Campbell

Committee Member

John Campbell

Committee Member

Melissa Sherfinski

Committee Member

Nathan Sorber

Abstract

Even though feminist pedagogy in the context of higher education has been widely researched, there is a dearth of scholarship available when it comes to feminist pedagogy in the context of English as a Second Language. The present retrospective qualitative case study investigated the ways in which feminist pedagogy is represented in the teaching philosophies and intended teaching practices of ESL instructors in the Summer 2023 Fulbright Pre-Academic Program. The research findings indicate that feminist pedagogy was represented in the teaching philosophies and intended teaching practices of the ESL instructors in several ways, despite the fact that they had not received formal training on this pedagogical framework in their TESOL program. The main themes identified during data analysis – showing and teaching empathy, teacher as a role model, promoting student engagement by creating a safe environment for multiple perspectives, reciprocal learning, and impact inside and outside the ESL classroom – were found to have corresponding relationships with Shrewsbury’s (1993) “central concepts” – community, empowerment, and leadership – and Allen et al.’s (2002) “principles” of feminist pedagogy – reformation of the relationship between professor and student, empowerment, building community, privileging voice, respecting the diversity of personal experience, and challenging traditional pedagogical notions. Future research would benefit from focusing on ESL students’ perspectives more thoroughly in order to provide greater insights into the impact of feminist teaching practices on ESL students’ language learning experience.

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