Inventors' Wives: Gendered Representation in Nonfiction Graded Readers

This presentation will describe the results of an examination of gender representation in nonfiction English graded readers. Graded readers are reading materials with lexis and structure controlled according to levels and widely used in extensive reading (ER). Various aspects of ER have been widely researched over the last few decades, e.g. Nakanishi (2014) initially identified 156 related publications and ultimately decided on 34 to include in an ER research meta-analysis. However, published research into gender representation in English graded readers has been almost nonexistent: Muto-Humphrey (2008) published an analysis of two fiction titles. While two conference presentations (Elliott, 2017; Elliott and Bieri, 2024) have shown some increased attention to this area, further examination of various aspects of gender in graded readers was still warranted.

Data accessed from the Mreader quiz site indicated that fiction titles are more widely read (e.g. 91 of the 100 most often quizzed titles over a five-year span were fiction). However, the data also indicated that nonfiction readers represent about 25% of available titles. Nonfiction readers are used widely in the researcher’s own context, with some students even having indicated a strong preference for nonfiction. The researcher decided to focus this project on nonfiction readers, as both relevant and underexamined.

While understanding gender as a complex construct extending beyond two reproduction-based categories, this project focused on differences in presentation of females and males. Aspects including the numbers that are the subjects of biographies, and the types and frequency of roles and occupations included were analyzed. Data from the macro level (from a list of over 1900 readers) and the micro level (content analysis of several dozen readers) will be presented. The presentation will be relevant to instructors, program administrators, and material writers. Potential implications related to materials selection, presentation, engagement and creation will be discussed.