Teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and supportive behaviors toward LGBT students: Relationship to Gay-Straight Alliances, antibullying policy, and teacher training

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the association between 3 school-level supports for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward LGBT youth. Framed within social support theory, the study used survey method with a sample of 98 teachers in Grades 6–12. The purpose was to examine the relation among GSAs, enumerated antibullying policies, and provision of LGBT-related training and teachers' knowledge and attitudes, as well as the frequency with which teachers engage in behaviors or activities to support LGBT youth. Results demonstrate that teachers reported a higher frequency of engaging in behaviors to support LGBT students when they worked in a school with an active GSA or enumerated antibullying policy and received training specifically related to LGBT youth. Across all teachers, ratings of the frequency of taking on supportive roles were significantly lower compared with their ratings of the importance of doing so. Despite acknowledging the need to support LGBT youth, teachers may not consistently intervene on behalf of LGBT students. Limitations as well as implications of these results for enhancing teacher training are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Secondary teacher
• teacher education
• attitudes
• educational policy
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• professional development

Notes on contributors

Dr. Katie Swanson received her PhD in Educational Psychology in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focused her research on LGBT youths' school experiences and the role schools play in supporting LGBT youth. Her current work involves assessing teacher perceptions of LGBT youth and how teachers can best support LGBT youth in the classroom. She is also interested in how school-wide Positive Behavior Supports influence student behavior and academic engagement. Dr. Swanson was the 2015 recipient of the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association Outstanding Dissertation Award. She is currently a school psychologist for East Maine School District 63 in Des Plaines, IL.

Dr. Maribeth Gettinger is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, School Psychology Program, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a licensed school psychologist in Wisconsin. Her research interests focus on helping classroom teachers meet the needs of diverse learners and implementation of evidence-based practices to promote success (academic as well as social-emotional-behavioral) for all students. She has been involved in training preservice school-based mental health providers and in-service educators for 35 years.

Notes

1. The acronym LGBT is used to refer to students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. When research findings apply only to lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, the abbreviation LGB is used.

2. Transgender youth were recruited for this study; however, none chose to participate.

3. This was the case at the time of data collection for the study from October 2013 through January 2014.

4. Institutional review board restrictions disallowed contacting teachers directly for participation through publically accessible e-mail addresses. Instead, researchers were required to secure approval from school principals who distributed the online survey to teachers to protect the privacy and confidentiality of nonresponding teachers.

5. On this survey, lower scores indicate greater frequency or importance.