Spotlighting the ‘Intersections’ of Bi + College Student Research: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Although scholars across academic disciplines are beginning to examine the experiences of bi+ college students, there is a need to further complicate how researchers are framing these studies and student communities. Specifically, this summative content analysis investigated how authors have written about the intersecting identities of bi+ college students. Using a sample of 70 publications that explicitly discussed bi+ students and their intersecting identities, we discovered the strengths and limitations around authors’ study decisions. Our findings illustrated six themes related to study framing and design, researchers’ (in)attention to power, and a lack of robust discussion and direction for improved practice. After highlighting these six themes, we provide recommendations for researchers hoping to better spotlight the intersections and nuances that are present within bi+ college student populations.

Keywords:

• Content analysis
• bi+
• LGBTQ
• college
• student

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In this manuscript, we employ the label of ‘bi+’ as an umbrella term to refer to identities of people attracted to more than one gender (e.g., bisexual, pansexual, polysexual). We recognize that all language has its limitations but follow others who employ this as an inclusive label (Ochs, 2021). Nonetheless, throughout this manuscript, we employ the term used by scholars when referencing their scholarship.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Antonio Duran

Antonio Duran (he/him/él) is an assistant professor of higher and postsecondary education in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. His research examines how historical and contemporary legacies of oppression influence college student development, experiences, and success.

Steve Lemerand

Steve Lemerand (he/him) is a PhD candidate in higher education at the University of Arizona. His research interests include queerness in postsecondary education environments and the performativity of gender and sexuality with a focus on bi, pan, and polysexual individuals.

Kaity Prieto

Kaity Prieto (she/her) is an assistant professor of higher education and student affairs in the College of Education and Human Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi. Her research centers the experiences of queer and trans students, with a focus on bisexual+ students and bisexual identity negotiation.