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ERIC Number: EJ1124594
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Oct
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0313-5373
EISSN: N/A
The Elephant in the (Class)Room: Parental Perceptions of LGBTQ-Inclusivity in K-12 Educational Contexts
Ullman, Jacqueline; Ferfolja, Tania
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, v41 n10 Article 2 p15-29 Oct 2016
While little is known about parental beliefs and desires regarding LGBTQ-inclusive education, assumptions about these appear to justify teachers', curriculum writers' and policy makers' silences regarding sexuality and gender diversity in the K-12 classroom. Thus, in order to better inform educators' practices, this paper presents an analysis of interview data from focus groups with parents from across the Australian state of New South Wales. The analysis was conceptually guided by the concepts of the "null curriculum" (Eisner, 2002) and "illocutionary silencing" (Saunston, 2013) as applied to understandings--both the authors' and participating parents'--of the departmental educational resources. Findings highlight parents' desires for LGBTQ-inclusivity, not only as a protective factor for sexuality and gender diverse students, but also to engender social cohesion and prepare all students for adult life in the modern social landscape. Parents struggled with the complexities of promoting positive social values through compulsory content while simultaneously respecting diverse sets of values and parents' rights to frame such topics according to a private set of beliefs. Furthermore, parents advocated for teacher training in this area and were eager for teachers and school leadership staff to feel departmentally-supported to enact LGBTQ-inclusive practices.
Edith Cowan University. Bradford Street, Mount Lawley, West Australia 6050, Australia. Web site: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A