Queer Voices
This study explores queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students’ voices on establishing a sense of belonging in the classroom. This study contributes to a growing body of research on the experience of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students in higher education institutions. Using long-form interv...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of North Carolina Wilmington
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jethe.org/index.php/jethe/article/view/403 |
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| Summary: | This study explores queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students’ voices on establishing a sense of belonging in the classroom. This study contributes to a growing body of research on the experience of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students in higher education institutions. Using long-form interviews with 25 students and alumni of a public research university in North Carolina, we find that the incorporation of small gestures by faculty has an outsized impact on fostering a sense of belonging among queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students. Specifically, small gestures such as the use of preferred pronouns went a long way in making students feel welcomed in the classroom. More broadly, queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students who identified with their gender assigned at birth also used the use of pronouns by professors as a cue. By virtue of professors taking the time to revise their email signatures, revise their syllabi to include language regarding anti-discrimination and scholarship by a diverse set of scholars, and make a welcoming statement aimed at establishing a safe space for queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students, signaled to students that they were an ally.
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| ISSN: | 2578-7608 |