The Perception and Reality of Gender Bias in the English-Language Classroom in Korea

The status and visibility of women has been increasing in society, particularly following the advent of Western feminist movements. Women now constitute an increasingly large proportion of university students in South Korea. As the proportion of women in classrooms has been increasing, the question of fair and equal treatment in the classroom has become more salient. Previous studies in the West have shown a discrepancy between perception of fairness and actual attempts to overcome gender bias in the classroom with a declining feeling of bias over time. This study attempted to determine the situation in an English-language Korean classroom setting by trying to determine whether there existed perceived levels of bias and, if so, whether the perception corresponded to objective measures of bias. Students in multiple classrooms were surveyed (n=180) concerning their perception of gender fairness in class and the surveys were followed by classroom observations. Recommendations are made about implications for reducing perceived and actual gender bias in class.