Struggling for Equality/Struggling for Hierarchy:
Gender Dynamics in an English as an Additional Language
Classroom for Adolescent Vietnamese Refugees

by Kristin Robbins

When I envisioned teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) to Vietnamese refugee students in exchange for permission to write about gender relations in the classroom, I had a romanticized idea about the assignment. My research goal was to learn more about how gender influenced learners in the classroom, to understand which engendered behaviors seemed to restrict learning, and, subsequently, to attempt to prevent those behaviors, to discover which behaviors promoted learning, and to encourage those positive behaviors. In particular, I wanted girls and boys to participate equally, I wanted to give equal attention to boys and girls, and I wanted to encourage cooperation and mutual respect among learners. I attempted to create a democratic classroom acknowledging that we are all learners as well as teachers. I aimed for equality in the classroom, incorporated student's suggestions and interests when possible, and presented materials, to the best of my ability, in an egalitarian way.