Gender in Task Difficulty: Does It Make Difference in Macro-genres?

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the role of the learners' gender in task difficulty in the four major types of macro-genres: the descriptive, narrative, argumentative, and expository. The design included the administration of short reading tests with comparable length and readability indices based on the four macro-genres (i.e., descriptive, narrative, argumentative, and expository) followed by task difficulty questionnaires. The macro-genre-based reading tests along with the task difficulty questionnaires were administered to 50 (male = 21, female = 29) EFL students in the University of Lorestan, Iran. Task difficulty questionnaires explored the learners’ perceptions of task difficulty components (i.e., code complexity, cognitive complexity, and communicative stress). The results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between males and females in the task difficulty of the four macro-genres. The findings hold implications for the use of macro-genres for male and female learners in task-oriented programs, genre-based teaching materials, teacher training, and testing.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p96