Ambivalent Deconstructions of Gendered Use of Hedges in Conversational Text Included in English Textbook for Junior High School in Indonesia

Jesica Vanessa Hutapea; Ni Komang Arie Suwastini; Gede Wisma Krisna Ari Aditya Blangsinga; Ni Luh Putu Sri Adnyani; I Nyoman Pasek Hadisaputra; I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini

Ambivalent Deconstructions of Gendered Use of Hedges in Conversational Text Included in English Textbook for Junior High School in Indonesia

Jesica Vanessa Hutapea, Ni Komang Arie Suwastini, Gede Wisma Krisna Ari Aditya Blangsinga, Ni Luh Putu Sri Adnyani, I Nyoman Pasek Hadisaputra, I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini

Abstract

Hedges have been considered stereotypical women’s language, marking them as indirect, doubtful, and sensitive communicators. This study traces the effort to deconstruct this gendered use of hedges in conversational texts included in the ninth grade Junior High School EFL textbook. Following the model of interactive qualitative data analysis by Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014) with Coates’s perspective on women and language, the study reveals that the book has shown deconstructive efforts in the stereotypical use of hedges as women’s language by assigning male characters uttered hedges in the conversational texts. However, this effort is weakened by the significantly higher use of hedges by female characters as compared to those by male characters. Besides, the assigning of masculine topics for male speakers and feminine topics for female speakers casts ambivalence over this deconstructive effort. These results call for more persistent efforts to include more consistent deconstructions of marginalizing gendered language in future English textbooks.

Keywords

hedges; gender; English textbook; conversational text

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DOI: 10.15408/ijee.v12i1.40021

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About The Authors

Jesica Vanessa Hutapea
Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Indonesia

Jesica Vanessa Hutapea is a postgraduate student in the English Language Education program at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. Her research focuses on multimodal learning, digital literacy, character education, and the use of visual media in English language teaching. She is especially interested in utilizing short films as tools for both language learning and character development.

Ni Komang Arie Suwastini
Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Indonesia

Ni Komang Arie Suwastini is a professor at the Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. Her expertise covers literature, feminism, and character education. Her current research explores feminist readings in literary and media texts, especially film adaptations, and how these can be applied in education to promote critical and values-based learning.

Gede Wisma Krisna Ari Aditya Blangsinga
Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Indonesia

Gede Wisma Krisna Ari Aditya Blangsinga is a graduate of the English Language Education Master’s program at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. His academic interests include critical discourse analysis, gender studies in education, and EFL materials evaluation, with a focus on promoting gender-sensitive and equitable content in language learning resources.

Ni Luh Putu Sri Adnyani
Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Indonesia

Ni Luh Putu Sri Adnyani is a professor at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha with a specialization in linguistics, particularly in bilingual acquisition and language education. Her research addresses early childhood multilingual development, Indonesian-Balinese bilingualism, and language education policies that support inclusive and effective language learning.

I Nyoman Pasek Hadisaputra
Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Indonesia

I Nyoman Pasek Hadisaputra is a lecturer at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha specializing in curriculum development and instructional design in English education. His research emphasizes contextually relevant, learner-centered teaching, and the integration of local culture and values into English language materials to foster intercultural competence.

I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini
Universitas Mahasaraswati
Indonesia

I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini is a professor at Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar with expertise in applied linguistics, translation studies, and literary analysis. Her work spans both scientific and literary translation, focusing on cultural and linguistic accuracy, and contributes significantly to translation pedagogy in multilingual academic contexts.

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Ambivalent Deconstructions of Gendered Use of Hedges in Conversational Text Included in English Textbook for Junior High School in Indonesia

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