Masculinities and femininities go to preschool: Gender positioning in discourse.

This research book has a twofold exploratory purpose. On the one hand this book seeks to describe and interpret how masculinities and femininities are communicated verbally and non-verbally in the preschool EFL classroom. On the other hand, this book is aimed at discussing whether those masculinities and femininities are likely to have an impact on the preschoolers¿ learning of English as a foreign language. Two distinctive features flow from the title of this research book: Masculinities and femininities go to preschool: Gender positioning in discourse. Firstly, this study aims at putting ¿ let us say `positioning¿ ¿ `gender¿ in the picture regarding second language learning in the context of preschoolers learning English as a foreign language. In that sense, this research book is based on an exploratory study. Secondly, a key aspect of this research book is the nature of its methodology and methods. The preschoolers¿ classroom interactions are analysed via a feminist, poststructuralist and discourse analysis lens oriented by principles of `positioning gender in discourse¿. This research book is also exploratory in that sense. Although such methodology and methods have already been used in educational contexts and others like the workplace (Baxter 2003), it appears ¿ to my knowledge at the moment of writing this research book ¿ that this study is a pioneer in the field by using Feminist Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis (a new methodology to ascertain gender and language in the study of second language learning). Some implications of positioning femininities and masculinities in preschool EFL education are described. Implications in the form of transformative actions have been thought of as suggestions that could enable staff and students at the research site to become more aware and responsive when the spectrum of `gender as discourses of multiplicity¿ is at stake in the EFL classroom. This, I argue, could possibly be extrapolated to preschool (English) language classrooms in general and to contexts in which Modern Foreign Languages are beginning to be a focus of attention as a subject taught to very young children. Within the poststructuralist line of thinking, I believe this research book opens a door for further research in which more questions about the interplay of foreign language learning, gender and young children are yet to be asked.