A mixed methods study to explore the lived experiences of support offered to LGBTQ+ students in higher education.
Abstract
Since 2016, United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions (UKHEI’s) have seen an increase of 40% of applications from individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other (LGBTQ+) and an 85% increase of transgender declarations. Despite recent positive reports around LGBTQ+ students in Higher Education, the academic literature paints a more negative picture. Much of the existing literature comes from interviews with staff and therefore this study, as part of a staff research internship, aimed to explore the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students. Following co-production and design with LGBTQ+ students an online survey with 26 respondents was conducted with 6 semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Three themes exploring the lived experiences were constructed: educational impact, belonging and institutional trust. Sub themes within highlighted that campaigns designed to demonstrate support for LGBTQ+ students did not go far enough in terms of educating people about contemporary issues and were often seen as tokenistic. Support services were not specific enough for this population of the student body. Alongside this, the discourse between the individual facets of the LGBTQ+ community highlighted a lack of belonging leading to self-isolation. Overall, this displayed a lack of trust and representation from the institution, leading to disengagement from academic studies. Recommendations include increased education around LGBTQ+ issues from management, support services and teaching staff alike with meaningful co-production with LGBTQ+ students to facilitate academic success and personal growth.
Downloads
References
Baumeister, R.F., & Leary, M.R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of General Psychology, 1(3), 311-320. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1.3.311
Bonner-Thompson, C., Mearns, G.W., & Hopkins, P. (2021). Transgender negotiations of precarity: contested spaces of higher education. The Geographical Journal, 187(3), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12384
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022) Thematic Analysis. A Practical Guide. Sage. London
Bryson, C., & Callaghan, L. (2021). A whole cohort approach to working in partnership between students and staff: problematising the issues and evaluating the outcomes. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 3(2), 176 – 196. Retrieved from https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1023
Cook-Sather, A., & Felten, P. (2017). Ethics of academic leadership: Guiding learning and teaching. In Cosmopolitan perspectives on academic leadership in higher education, edited by Feng-Su and Margaret Wood, 175 – 191. London: Bloomsbury.
Cook-Sather, A., & Felten, P. (2021). Where Student Engagement Meets Faculty Development: How Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnership Fosters a Sense of Belonging. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 1(3), 3. Retrieved from https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/cook
Ellis, S.J. (2009). Diversity and inclusivity at university: A survey of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) students in the UK. Higher Education, 57(6), 723– 739. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9172-y
Emiliussen, J., Engelsen, S., Christiansen, R., & Klausen, S. H. (2021). We are all in it!: Phenomenological Qualitative Research and Embeddedness. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406921995304
English, R., & Fernby-Hulse, K. (2019). Documenting diversity: The experiences of LGBTQ+ doctoral researchers in the UK. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 14, 403-430. https://dx.doi.org/10.28945/4328
Formby, E., & Donovan, C. (2020). Sex and relationships education for LGBT+ young people: lessons from UK youth work. Sexualities, 23, 1155-1178. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1363460719888432
Glazzard, J., & Stones, S. (2021). Running Scared? A Critical Analysis of LGBTQ+ Inclusion Policy in Schools. Frontiers in Sociology, 6.613283. https://doi.org/103389/fsoc.2021.613283
Goldberg, A. E., Beemyn, G., & Smith, J. Z. (2019). What Is Needed, What Is Valued: Trans Students’ Perspectives on Trans-Inclusive Policies and Practices in Higher Education. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 29(1), 27–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2018.1480376
Gooch, B., & Bachmann, C. (2018). LGBT in Britain - University Report. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/lgbt-britain-university-report
Grimwood, M.E. (2017). What do LGBTQ students say about their experience of university in the UK? Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 21(4), 140 – 143. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2016.1203367
Hagerty, B.M., Lynch-Sauer, J., Patusky, K.L., Bouwsema, M., & Collier, P. (1992). Sense of belonging: a vital mental health concept. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 6, 3, 172 – 177. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1622293
Hase, S., & Kenyon, C. (2000). From andragogy to heutagogy. Ultibase RMIT. http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-wb/20010220130000/http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/dec00/hase2.htm
Haslop, C., O’Rourke, F., & Southern, R. (2021). # NoSnowflakes: the toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide in a UK student online culture. Convergence, 27(5), 1418–1438.https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856521989270
Hickey, G., Brearley, S., Coldham, T., Denegri, S., Green, G., Staniszewska, S., Tembo, D., Torok, K., & Turner, K. (2018) Guidance on co-producing a research project. Southampton: INVOLVE. Available at: NIHR Guidance on co-producing a research project (learningforinvolvement.org.uk)
Lahman, M. K. E., Rodriguez, K. L., Moses, L., Griffin, K. M., Mendoza, B. M., & Yacoub, W. (2015). A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still a Rose? Problematizing Pseudonyms in Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 21(5), 445–453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800415572391
Lowe, T (2022). What is ‘community’ and why is it important? Available at: https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/insights/what-is-community-and-why-is-it-important
Marine, S.B., & Nicolazzo, Z. (2014). Names that matter: Exploring the tensions of campus LGBTQ centers and trans* inclusion. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 7(4), 265-281. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037990
Mearns, G.W., Bonner-Thompson, C., & Hopkins, P. (2020). Trans experiences of a university campus in northern England. Area, 52(3), 488–494. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12595
McKendry, S., & Lawrence, M. (2017). TransEdu Scotland: Researching the experience of trans and gender diverse applicants, students and staff in Scotland’s colleges and universities. TransEdu Research. Available at: TransEDU - Research
National Union of Students (NUS) (2014). Education Beyond the Straight and Narrow: LGBT Students’ Experience in Higher Education. NUS: London. Available at Education Beyond the Straight and Narrow (2014) @ NUS Connect
O’Riordan, K., Jenzen, O., & Nelson, S. L. (2023). Liveability, environment, and policy: Reflections on trans student experience of entering UK higher education. Sexualities, 26(1–2), 211–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607221088148
Owusu-Agyeman, Y. (2021) Student transition experiences and the agency of supportive campus environment in higher education. Student Engagement in higher education Journal, 4(1), 128-155. Retrieved from https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1052
Parahoo, K. (2014). Nursing Research: Principles, Process, and Issues. Bloomsbury Publishing: London.
Siu, C., & Comersamy, H. (2013). Doing a Research Project in Nursing & Midwifery. A Basic Guide to Research Using the Literature Review Methodology. Sage: London.
Smith, J.A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2012). Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method, and Research. Sage. London.
Smith, J., Robinson, S., & Khan, R. (2022). Transgender and non-binary students’ experiences at UK universities: A rapid evidence assessment. Equity in Education & Society, 1(1), 18 – 31. https://doi.org/10.1177/27526461211068518
Storrie, R., & Rohleder, P. (2018). ‘I think if I had turned up sporting a beard and a dress then you get in trouble’: experiences of transgender students at UK universities. Psychology & Sexuality, 9(4), 317-328. https://doi.org.10.1080/19419889.2019.1492435
Talbot, C. V., Talbot, A., Roe, D. J., & Briggs, P. (2022). The management of LGBTQ+ identities on social media: A student perspective. New Media & Society, 24(8), 1729–1750. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820981009
University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Next Steps. What is the Experience of LGBT+ Students in Education (2021). London: UCAS. Available at: Next steps: UCAS report on LGBT+ students | Undergraduate | UCAS
Walton, G.M., Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, Social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82-96. http://dx.dor.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.82
Wavehill. (2022). Co-creating Intersectional Student Mental Health Initiatives: Lessons from the Mental Health Funding Competition. Available at: Co-creating intersectional student mental health initiatives (officeforstudents.org.uk)
Zarandi, N., Soares, A., & Alves, H. (2022). Strategies, benefits, and barriers– a systematic literature review of student co-creation in higher education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2022.2134956
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).