"The school helps me to understand, not really other people to understand": Elementary transgender students' experiences of school

Students who identify as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming navigate multiple messages and realities under the current media and political climate. While transgender individuals are seeing greater representation in popular culture, the political arena, and other areas of power, they are still at higher risks for violence, victimization, and discrimination. Further, there is a growing knowledge of secondary transgender students and their navigation of school, but the research literature has produced little on how their elementary-aged peers experience school in ways that are either similar or different to their older peers. This basic qualitative descriptive study focuses on one mid-Atlantic state (MAS) in a time of transition as a law requiring school divisions to adopt transgender affirming policies went into effect, and sought to answer the following research questions: How do transgender, non-binary, and GNC elementary-aged students experience and navigate “schooling” in the MAS? What do these students reveal as support systems? What do these students identify as barriers? Through interviews of elementary school students and their parents, findings emerged around the active inner life of these students and their personal growth as a result of their experiences, school practices such as ensuring policy implementation with fidelity and considerations for staff training and student curriculum, and the importance of non-school supports such as summer camps and community groups. It is recommended that schools center on believing and incorporating transgender student voices into their decisions, focus on policy implementation and accountability, create non-gendered spaces and practices, develop gender-inclusive curricula, and ensure staff training on gender identity.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Sampson, Darrell J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pak, Yoon
• Hale, Jon
• Hinze-Pifer, Rebecca
• Hood, Denice

• transgender
• elementary school
• LGBTQ
• qualitative

Statement dc:rights

• © 2022 Darrell J. Sampson

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115366

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115366