Beyond the gender gap: Masculinities in Austrian German as L2 education for refugees
type: CreativeWork
description: This dissertation aims to bridge the gaps between second language education research, gender studies, and forced migration studies. Particular emphasis is placed on dimensions of temporality and spatiality and their various intersections with participants’ experience of border policies, “integration” regulations, language learning/use and masculinities. Throughout the dissertation, I seek to reflect on my role as a researcher in a series of intermezzos that feature creative writing. The study seeks to problematise the “gender gap” often found in additional language education research by highlighting two main issues. First, some of the methods and instruments used to study the gender gap may have a gender bias. Second, large parts of SLE research frame sex/gender as binary and static and portray women/men as separate and rather homogenous groups, often without acknowledging the large overlap between them. This complicates achieving an in-depth understanding of how gender is at play in language learning journeys. In my dissertation, I argue that framing boys/men as a homogenous group is an oversimplification that does not engage with the context-dependent constitution, experience and performance of different masculinities. In turn, if we better understand men’s diverse gendered experiences as language learners, including gender-specific challenges and opportunities, this might support us in making language education more accessible and enjoyable for many learners. This seems particularly relevant in forced migration contexts: forced migration often necessitates navigating masculinity ideals of multiple cultures and can both challenge and reinforce notions of masculinity. Currently, all this happens in a climate where refugee men and their masculinities are frequently discussed negatively in the political discourse, and where their language learning is heavily politicised. A specific understanding of men’s gendered experiences as language learners/users in this context…
abstract: This dissertation aims to bridge the gaps between second language education research, gender studies, and forced migration studies. Particular emphasis is placed on dimensions of temporality and spatiality and their various intersections with participants’ experience of border policies, “integration” regulations, language learning/use and masculinities. Throughout the dissertation, I seek to reflect on my role as a researcher in a series of intermezzos that feature creative writing. The study seeks to problematise the “gender gap” often found in additional language education research by highlighting two main issues. First, some of the methods and instruments used to study the gender gap may have a gender bias. Second, large parts of SLE research frame sex/gender as binary and static and portray women/men as separate and rather homogenous groups, often without acknowledging the large overlap between them. This complicates achieving an in-depth understanding of how gender is at play in language learning journeys. In my dissertation, I argue that framing boys/men as a homogenous group is an oversimplification that does not engage with the context-dependent constitution, experience and performance of different masculinities. In turn, if we better understand men’s diverse gendered experiences as language learners, including gender-specific challenges and opportunities, this might support us in making language education more accessible and enjoyable for many learners. This seems particularly relevant in forced migration contexts: forced migration often necessitates navigating masculinity ideals of multiple cultures and can both challenge and reinforce notions of masculinity. Currently, all this happens in a climate where refugee men and their masculinities are frequently discussed negatively in the political discourse, and where their language learning is heavily politicised. A specific understanding of men’s gendered experiences as language learners/users in this context…
author: Jakob, Julia
language: eng
keywords: adult education, ethnographic interviews, forced migration, gender, gender studies, L2 education, language education, masculinities, qualitative research
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/98c510b3-2ab2-4cb6-b2c1-dd7d501f0067/download
license: http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved
date published: 2024-09-09
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:14Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.115953