Resumen

FUMERO, Francisca. Applying the “gender colony” concept to teaching through instructional texts. Investigación y Postgrado [online]. 2006, vol.21, n.2, pp.249-268. ISSN 2244-7474.

This article evaluates applying the concept of gender to teaching through different instructional text. As a first step the classification of such text is based upon the human need to categorized information according to the cultural context and the multiple situations in which communication occurs (Halliday, 1991; Swales, 1990; Berkenkotter y Huckin, 1995; Bathia, 2002/2004). In this particular case, the instructional text ocupéis a significant place in human daily routines. This fact determines the need to define their contextual focus based on three properties: efficiency, effectiveness, and adequacy. (Beaugrande y Dressler, 2003). The investigation proposes, first, a methodology that departs from de need to analyze the situation in which communication takes place and, second, an understanding of the teaching of the mother tongue taking into account the genders used by the discursive community. The study concludes arguing that the texts (specially the instructional ones) are constructed as gender examples that respond appropriately to specific social conventions.

Palabras clave : instructional text; gender colony; properties of the written text.