This action research (AR) study explored practitioners’ knowledge of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) youth issues in a juvenile justice setting. A research and service approach was employed to develop a LGBTQI policy and training. This study was motivated by three research questions. Does sensitivity training increase practitioner knowledge concerning LGBTQI youth in juvenile justice? What are the attitudes of juvenile justice practitioners concerning the stigmatization of LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? How can the findings of this study improve support networks for LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? To examine these questions, pre-test and post-test data were obtained from (N=164) practitioners and interviews were conducted with (N=16) practitioners. The results revealed that practitioner knowledge about LGBTQI youth issues in juvenile justice increased. The results further indicated that demographic factors were not good predictors of such knowledge increase. Participant narratives highlighted and contested inequalities concerning the care and treatment, climatic conditions and affirming networks for LGBTQI youth in the juvenile justice system. Implications for policy, practice, and research were discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>This action research (AR) study explored practitioners’ knowledge of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) youth issues in a juvenile justice setting. A research and service approach was employed to develop a LGBTQI policy and training. This study was motivated by three research questions. Does sensitivity training increase practitioner knowledge concerning LGBTQI youth in juvenile justice? What are the attitudes of juvenile justice practitioners concerning the stigmatization of LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? How can the findings of this study improve support networks for LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? To examine these questions, pre-test and post-test data were obtained from (N=164) practitioners and interviews were conducted with (N=16) practitioners. The results revealed that practitioner knowledge about LGBTQI youth issues in juvenile justice increased. The results further indicated that demographic factors were not good predictors of such knowledge increase. Participant narratives highlighted and contested inequalities concerning the care and treatment, climatic conditions and affirming networks for LGBTQI youth in the juvenile justice system. Implications for policy, practice, and research were discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McRae, Dawn N."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Educational Leadership","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educational Services and Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Johnson, Ane Turner","Hancock, Gloria","Connell, Nadine"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-02-03T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-02-03T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:21Z","subjects":["Affirmative Practice","Cultural Competence","Organizational Change","Practitioner Perceptions","Juvenile corrections; Sexual orientation","Criminology and Criminal Justice","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/583","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Johnson, Ane Turner","Hancock, Gloria","Connell, Nadine"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McRae, Dawn N."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-02-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Services and Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Affirmative Practice","Cultural Competence","Organizational Change","Practitioner Perceptions","Juvenile corrections; Sexual orientation","Criminology and Criminal Justice","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/583"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This action research (AR) study explored practitioners’ knowledge of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) youth issues in a juvenile justice setting. A research and service approach was employed to develop a LGBTQI policy and training. This study was motivated by three research questions. Does sensitivity training increase practitioner knowledge concerning LGBTQI youth in juvenile justice? What are the attitudes of juvenile justice practitioners concerning the stigmatization of LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? How can the findings of this study improve support networks for LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? To examine these questions, pre-test and post-test data were obtained from (N=164) practitioners and interviews were conducted with (N=16) practitioners. The results revealed that practitioner knowledge about LGBTQI youth issues in juvenile justice increased. The results further indicated that demographic factors were not good predictors of such knowledge increase. Participant narratives highlighted and contested inequalities concerning the care and treatment, climatic conditions and affirming networks for LGBTQI youth in the juvenile justice system. Implications for policy, practice, and research were discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Interrupting the silence: an action research study to transform a juvenile justice culture for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTQI) youth"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Johnson, Ane Turner","Hancock, Gloria","Connell, Nadine"],"dc:creator":["McRae, Dawn N."],"dc:date.available":["2016-02-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This action research (AR) study explored practitioners’ knowledge of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) youth issues in a juvenile justice setting. A research and service approach was employed to develop a LGBTQI policy and training. This study was motivated by three research questions. Does sensitivity training increase practitioner knowledge concerning LGBTQI youth in juvenile justice? What are the attitudes of juvenile justice practitioners concerning the stigmatization of LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? How can the findings of this study improve support networks for LGBTQI youth in a juvenile correctional setting? To examine these questions, pre-test and post-test data were obtained from (N=164) practitioners and interviews were conducted with (N=16) practitioners. The results revealed that practitioner knowledge about LGBTQI youth issues in juvenile justice increased. The results further indicated that demographic factors were not good predictors of such knowledge increase. Participant narratives highlighted and contested inequalities concerning the care and treatment, climatic conditions and affirming networks for LGBTQI youth in the juvenile justice system. Implications for policy, practice, and research were discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/583"],"dc:subject":["Affirmative Practice","Cultural Competence","Organizational Change","Practitioner Perceptions","Juvenile corrections; Sexual orientation","Criminology and Criminal Justice","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"dc:title":["Interrupting the silence: an action research study to transform a juvenile justice culture for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTQI) youth"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Services and Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Educational Leadership"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:21Z"}