ERIC Number: EJ1463324
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-None
EISSN: EISSN-2578-7608
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Queer Voices: Learning from Experiences of Queer-Spectrum and Trans-Spectrum University Students
Nadine Suzanne Gibson; Ann Rotchford; Addie Sayers
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, v7 n2 p102-121 2024
This study explores queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students' voices on establishing a sense of belonging in the classroom. This study contributes to a growing body of research on the experience of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students in higher education institutions. Using long-form interviews with 25 students and alumni of a public research university in North Carolina, we find that the incorporation of small gestures by faculty have an outsized impact on fostering a sense of belonging among queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students. Specifically, small gestures such as the use of preferred pronouns went a long way in making students feel welcomed in the classroom. More broadly, queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students who identified with their gender assigned at birth also used the use of pronouns by professors as a cue. By virtue of professors taking the time to revise their email signatures, revise their syllabi to include language regarding anti-discrimination and scholarship by a diverse set of scholars, and make a welcoming statement aimed at establishing a safe space for queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students, signaled to students that they were an ally.
Descriptors: Transgender People, LGBTQ People, Student Attitudes, Sense of Belonging, Public Colleges, Teacher Student Relationship, Social Integration, College Students, Alumni, Educational Environment, Mentors, Diversity, Instructional Materials
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education. Centers for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Leadership, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403. e-mail: jethe@uncw.edu; Web site: https://jethe.org/index.php/jethe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A