ERIC Number: EJ1376439
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-1811
EISSN: EISSN-1472-0825
Multiple Dimensions of Safe Space for LGBTQ Students: School Staff Perceptions
Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, v23 n1 p35-48 2023
Inclusive school environments have been shown to improve educational outcomes, retention, mental health and overall wellbeing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Anti-bullying approaches have been common strategies used in schools to promote safety for all students, yet a well-established critique among scholars and educators suggests such approaches by themselves are insufficient. Little research exists investigating the spatial aspects of forming LGBTQ-inclusive school cultures. This article reports on an Australian study exploring teachers' and school staff understandings of how space influences inclusion and how they negotiated or established 'safe spaces' for LGBTQ students. Drawing on the work of Edward Soja, we explored how participants constituted safety in conceived and perceived spaces, and how this informed the ways in which physical environments were established in the lived space to promote inclusion. We reveal the role of physical, discursive and curriculum spaces in everyday schooling activities and practices to promote LGBTQ inclusion.
Descriptors: LGBTQ People, Educational Environment, Bullying, School Safety, School Personnel, Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Inclusion, School Culture, Foreign Countries, Secondary Schools, Social Bias, Advocacy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A