Mind the Gap: Comparing Declared Institutional Support and Queer Student Perceptions in Higher Education in the U.S. and South Korea

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Building Movements and Elevating Voices: Efforts to Engage Mobilization and Promote Discussion on LGBTQ+ Issues in Education

Proposal

This study aimed to compare the extent to which two universities in the U.S. and South Korea publicly declare their support for queer students with how students actually perceive that support. The study employed a mixed-methods, cross-case analysis to examine publicly available declarations of queer student support and student perceptions of that support at one institution in the U.S. and one in South Korea. Institution-level data was collected using discourse analysis of publicly available web pages addressing queer issues for each university. Student-level data was collected through a survey that was compiled and adapted from three pre-existing surveys to capture students’ perspectives of their institution’s support for queer students (Milman et al., 2015; Rose 2016) and their sense of belonging at their school (Pizmony-Levy et al., 2008). A Queer Support Index was developed to analyze and compare the institution-level data while descriptive statistics and a Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze and compare the student-level data.

Two main theoretical frameworks underpinned this study’s methods and analysis. The first was inspired by Hill et al.’s (2021) paper, in which they adapt Schreiner’s (2010) thriving framework and gear it specifically toward the queer community. Schreiner’s three components of student thriving (interpersonal, intrapersonal, and academic) were used as a lens through which to examine and compare queer student support at each institution. The second theoretical component that guided the research, and has guided much of the queer research that has come before, is the idea of a sense of belonging (as in Strayhorn, 2018). By addressing the research questions through the lens of thriving and belonging, this study examined the queer student experience using a positive perspective (Tuck 2009, as in Hill et al. 2021) in an attempt to avoid the damage-oriented lens that is all too common in queer academic literature.

The results show that the American institution displayed higher levels of public declaration of support for queer students as well as overall higher perceptions of support by queer students at their institution. Through statistical analysis, the student level perceptions of queer support from the American sample (n=7) were shown to be statistically significantly higher than those of their Korean counterparts (n=5) in academic thriving, interpersonal thriving, belonging, and total thriving scores. No statistically significant difference was found between the two samples for intrapersonal thriving. While statistical analysis could not be conducted to address the discrepancies or alignment between international declarations and student perceptions, initial findings suggest a positive relationship between these two variables.

This study sheds light on the impact context has on queer student support and illuminates the importance of raising up queer students in ways that go beyond just academic retention so that students can thrive in every part of their university experience. In particular, the low belonging scores displayed by students from both institutions highlight the importance and necessity of thorough and substantial queer student support at the higher education level. While the American institution displayed higher levels of support for queer students on average, the study suggests that even the most well-intentioned institutions can unwittingly propagate forms and histories of oppression. While the findings from this research are not generalizable by nature of being a case study, this study combats the overall dearth of research into queer issues as they relate to and intersect with international and comparative education (Capobianco, 2020, Pizmony-Levy et al., 2020). Specifically, there is very little academic literature on queer issues for students in Korea, particularly in the English language. This study gives a glimpse into two specific cases that suggest a need for increased emphasis on queer student support in higher education.

Regarding the theme of CIES 2024, the fight for LGBTQ+ equality has always been inherently connected with the idea of protest. While one Gallup poll shows that more and more people are openly identifying as queer (Gallup, 2022), we live in a time where queerness is contested and queer people face persistent threats to their rights. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is currently following 491 bills being put forth across the U.S. that negatively target people who are LGBTQ+ (ACLU, 2023). When looking at Korea, it is an outlier amongst wealthy democratic nations in regard to its treatment of its queer citizens, being one of only three Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries to receive a grade of “F” in the 2019 Franklin & Marshall Global Barometer of Gay Rights (F&M Global Monitors, 2020; Mitsanas, 2022). While it is evident that queer people continue to be persecuted, they have historically demonstrated perseverance in the face of adversity. Challenging the status quo and seeking more equitable and inclusive treatment of queer people – with a focus on queer students in this instance – makes this study poignant for this year’s CIES theme. By examining potential discrepancies between institutional declarations of queer support and how queer students on the ground level feel supported, this study seeks to examine structural issues in these two cases while centering queer voices. The study shows that while queer people and communities have made much progress toward equality, there is still a long way yet to go.

Author

• Zachary Garland Horne, The George Washington University