ERIC Number: EJ1214825
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2379-4690
EISSN: N/A
Research and Practice in Transition: Improving Support and Advocacy of Transgender Middle School Students
Lewis, Rebecca K.; Sembiante, Sabrina F.
Middle Grades Review, v5 n1 Article 2 2019
In this essay, our purposes are to inspire particular avenues of future research addressing Transgender students, in middle school in particular, and to inform the professional development of teachers in support of these Transgender youth. In relation to the ways in which research can more authentically represent Transgender identity, we argue for the use of Transgender theory as a guiding framework for research addressing Transgender students, issues, and needs. We also describe the particular affordances of qualitative, ethnographic, and phenomenological studies in capturing the unique and highly personal experiences and realities of Transgender individuals, and specifically, in middle school. We then discuss how schools are structured socially and politically along heteronormative and cisnormative lines, presenting a stumbling block for Transgender rights advocacy in educational contexts. Finally, we review the potential of teachers to be the necessary educational change agents to spur greater understanding of and advocacy for students' gender inclusivity.
Descriptors: Middle School Students, LGBTQ People, Sexual Identity, Advocacy, Student Experience, Research Needs, School Culture, Middle School Teachers, Teacher Role, Change Agents, Theories, Qualitative Research, Ethnography, Phenomenology
University of Vermont - Middle Grades Review. Waterman Hall, Burlington, VT 05405. Web site: http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/mgreview
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A