ERIC Number: EJ1459129
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1359-866X
EISSN: EISSN-1469-2945
"Calling All Responsible, Aware Teachers!" Engaging Teachers in Transformative Learning about Gender and Sexuality Diversity in a Master of Education Program
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, v53 n1 p96-113 2025
Globally, schooling continues to be a precarious space for gender and sexuality diverse (GSD) youth, where students are more likely to experience transphobic and homophobic violence at school than at home or in the general community. While there have been moves to provide learning about GSD in preservice teacher education, limited attention has been given to how postgraduate programs might better equip inservice teachers to support GSD students. In this paper, we argue that Master of Education (MEd) degrees, that serve teachers and school leaders, represent a space for transforming teacher attitudes and practice. Our research in a large, metropolitan university in Australia explored the use of reflective online writing in an MEd by coursework critical sociological studies course. Threshold concepts and liminality were used as a theoretical framework to explore how nineteen inservice teachers engaged with content on GSD and education. Our research findings suggest that while some students may feel discomfort as their existing knowledge is challenged, providing a safe space for critical reading/thinking and for connecting theory with personal and professional experiences enables students to move through phases of liminality. This opens up opportunities for teachers and leaders to challenge cis-heteronormative attitudes, practices and policies in education.
Descriptors: Masters Programs, Education Majors, Foreign Countries, Transformative Learning, Metropolitan Areas, Universities, Gender Issues, Sexuality, Gender Differences, Student Diversity, School Safety, Victims of Crime, School Violence, Introductory Courses, Required Courses, Graduate Students, Fundamental Concepts, Social Class, Ethnicity, Education, Indigenous Populations, Student Attitudes, Positive Attitudes, Comprehension
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A