A Grounded Theory Study of the Experiences of Gender and Sexually Diverse High School Students: Balancing School Ethos

Anti-bullying campaigns and legislation are on the rise, and school districts are fighting in favor of and against various forms of support for gay and sexually diverse (GSD) students, creating very distinct experienced ethoses in their prospective schools. At times, these ethoses stand in direct opposition of the aspirational ethoses of those same schools. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to understand how schools interact with the educational policies in place to create a balanced ethos. This study uses Charmaz*s (2014) constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to answer the following questions: How, if at all, does the aspirational ethos balance with the experienced ethos in high schools for GSD students, and, how, if at all, are schools creating positive high school ethoses for GSD students? Two themes emerged from this study. The first theme, don*t ask, don*t tell, showed that GSD students are often expected to be silent about themselves and their issues. The second theme, policy is just a beginning, revealed that inclusive policy alone is not enough, administration must interact with these policies and GSD students. The findings of this study indicate that for schools to provide a balanced aspirational and experienced ethos for GSD students, these students must be included in the policies, actions, and interactions of the high school. Schools create a positive ethos for GSD students when the balance is achieved. This study has practical and theoretical implications for anti-oppressive educational practices and discourse regarding GSD students.

Author dc:creator

• Huff, Frankie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Olan, Elsie

• High school; school ethos; gender and sexually diverse; anti oppression; visibility; lgbt
• Education
• Dissertations, Academic -- Education and Human Performance; Education and Human Performance -- Dissertations, Academic

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

CFE0005809

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-1677