The Impact of School Gender Climate on School Outcomes for Australian Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students

• In Event: 66.059 - Oppression or Liberation? Realities and Possibilities of Institutional Action for Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students

Abstract

Purpose

Australian transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students are more likely than their same-sex attracted (SSA) peers to report feeling unsafe at school, difficulties concentrating in class, lower marks, missing or dropping out of school, and hiding from classmates (Hillier et al., 2010). Schools’ discriminatory practices, including marginalising policies and curricular silences regarding students’ gender expression and diverse sexualities (Ullman & McGraw, 2014; Ullman & Ferfolja, forthcoming), are likely related to negative school outcomes, particularly for TGNC young people. The current study investigated Australian SSA and TGNC students’ reported gender-climate (Ullman, 2014), the school ethos around gender expression, inclusive of organisationally-enforced curriculum, rules and policies regarding students’ physical appearance, and its relationship to social and academic outcomes.

Theoretical framework

The regulation of gender is viewed as a socialising practice inherent to the institution of schooling, where schools function as, “sites for the production of gendered/sexualised identities’ through curriculum, pedagogic practices and peer cultures” (Kehily, 2002, pg. 50).

Method

An online survey was used to collect students’ reported data on their school’s gender-climate, their sense of school wellbeing, safety, perceived teacher empathy, and academic self-beliefs. The survey used a mixture of previously-validated scales and original items. Descriptive results are reported here, alongside bivariate analyses including t-tests, chi-square comparisons and correlational analyses.

Data source

Just over 700 SSA and gender nonconforming students aged 14-18 participated (N=704), with 51 young people (7%) identifying as TGNC and 30% attending religious schools. Students were recruited using social media using purposive sampling techniques.

Results

While students reported low levels of teacher intervention when classmates used homophobic language at school (60% reported teachers “never” or “hardly ever” intervene), reported teacher invention was even lower for instances of language indicative of transprejudice (66% reporting the same). Nearly 60% of participants reported that their teachers are “never” or “hardly ever” positive about TGNC individuals or related topics and only a quarter of the group reported learning about LGBTQ people or history. While 17% of participants indicated that their school’s anti-discrimination policy included sexual orientation, only 7% indicated inclusion of gender expression or nonconformity. Participants from religious schools were significantly less likely to report such policies or curricular inclusions.

A comparison of means revealed that TGNC participants were significantly less likely than their SSA peers to report being able to autonomously express their gender at school. Further, while items measuring restrictive gender-climate, specifically with regards to school rules and policies around gender expression, were significantly, negatively correlated with measures of wellbeing, safety, perceived teacher empathy, academic self-concept and motivation for all participants, these correlations were more pronounced for TGNC students. Items related to a) teachers’ curricular consideration of diverse genders and b) their defense of gender nonconforming students were most discrepant, having a more pronounced impact for TGNC students.

Significance

This research confirms the need for Australian federal bodies to roll-out inclusive, linguistically-unambiguous policy and curriculum with regards to diverse sexualities and genders across the public and private sectors. Professional development training would be crucial to complement these efforts.

Author

• Jacqueline Ullman, University of Western Sydney