Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature 17(2) April 2023 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/lc P-ISSN 1858-0157 E-ISSN 2460-853X Construction of Gender in Linguistic Signs in Selected Kenyan Sec- ondary School English Textbooks Fellis Nthambi Mutune Machakos University, Kenya Email: senseimutune@yahoo.com Geoffrey Mokua Maroko* Machakos University, Kenya Email: gmaroko@mksu.ac.ke Alice Wanjira Kiai Technical University of Kenya Email: ally.kiai@gmail.com Abstract In countries such as Kenya, where textbooks are a core component of classroom experience, the materials have the potential to shape socially enacted identities. Gender representation via linguistic signs in textbooks can have a substantial impact on how students perceive men and women in society. In order to achieve equity in education, which is a key mandate of both the Education for All (EFA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), gen- der bias in textbooks must be addressed. The National Policy on Gender and Development (NPGAD) in Kenya sought to enhance equal participation among men, women, girls and boys in education and other thematic areas. This paper contributes to the discourse on gender representation in textbooks by examining gender portrayal in linguistic signs found in selected English secondary school textbooks using Halliday’s (1985, 2014) systemic functional grammar approach. The study applied the explanatory sequential research design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). A document analysis guide derived from the model for analyzing linguistic signs by Halliday (1985, 2014) was employed in the analysis of quantitative data from the linguistic signs in four English textbooks. Results showed that in the selected textbooks, masculine representations were more prevalent than those of females. The study also revealed that males were more involved in all the three mood types namely; declarative, interroga- tive and imperative. Again, more males than females appeared as theme and rheme of clauses. Additionally, it emerged that males engaged more in verbal processes than females did. The study concludes that men are either implicitly or explicitly portrayed as being superior to women in the linguistic signs in the analysed textbooks. The study recommends that Ministry of Education in Kenya initiates measures to alleviate gender disparity by focusing on the issue of gender representation in textbooks. On the other hand, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) may find these results useful in improving the textbooks evaluation based on gender equal- ity prototypes. Improved evaluation, could be used as a basis to revise textbooks currently in use and guide in the development of new ones. Keywords: systemic functional linguistics, textbooks, gender portrayal, linguistic signs  teachers’ knowledge gaps. Carmen (2015) adds that textbooks as learning materials have some authority over students because they rarely object to the content. Textbooks contain both latent and manifest content. A great deal of the content is in form of linguistic signs which consists of all the words that have either meaning or grammatical function. The manifest content includes direct or noticeable elements, while the latent content is the hidden elements of the textbooks, which need to be interpreted for the underlying or hidden is- sues to be revealed. The content of the textbooks, whether latent or manifest, should be designed to promote gender inclusivity so that learners get INTRODUCTION In a conventional language teaching and learning setting, textbooks are essential and com- mon. This could be attributed to the convenience associated with carrying textbooks and also the textbooks’ affordability. As Brugeilles and Cro- mer (2009a, p. 15) noted, textbooks are “still the cheapest of available media, and they are easy to carry and use,” making them an effective educa- tional instrument that can reach a wide audien- ce. Veriara (2015) emphasises the crucial functi- on of textbooks by claiming that they direct the teaching and learning process by making up for