Literature Review- Research Proposal

Literature Review- Research Proposal

The current Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth come of age during a time when there are dynamic political and social changes regarding their visibility and rights but continue to be vulnerable to poor mental health. The LGBTQ community is a major target of violence, harassment, and discrimination, which tend to negatively impact them, as observed in the high rates of suicide risks, poor sexual and mental health, and substance use among this population. Schools can play an integral role in making necessary changes and policies that can help improve the well-being of the LGBTQ in society since most youths spend a big percentage of their time in schools. In a time when laws are being passed that negatively affect the LGBTQ+ youth in the US, it is important that research can show the benefits of having an inclusive environment for this vulnerable population of youth. The policies are not only impacting the LGBTQ+ community but also creating an imbalance of social justice and not promoting educational equity. Researching this topic is not about telling people what is best or instructing them, but instead informing them of the benefits and risks. The goal of this research question is to improve understanding of gender-sexuality issues. In doing so, it is expected that policymakers will consider incorporating an all-inclusive and supportive policy for the LGBTQ to enhance their well-being and obtain support from fellow students and staff.

Theoretical Perspective: Cummins Empowerment Theory

The research proposal will be founded on Cummins’ theory regarding minority empowerment. As discussed in this paper, the theory is in proper alignment with the personal philosophies concerning the need for a supportive and caring school atmosphere for every student. Cummins’ theory is majorly focused on ethnic minority students, but it offers a structure that can be used to empower any minority group that faces bigoted actions and attitudes. Cummins’s empowerment theory posits that students from marginalized communities can be empowered or disabled by their interactions and relationships in the school context (Boyland, Kirkeby & Boyland, 2018). According to Cummins, school leaders play an integral role in making moral choices that are in support of the belief practices and systems in schools to empower or disable minority students. The schools that strive to empower minority students will engage in specific actions such as encouraging personnel that fosters inclusivity and advocating for the needs and rights of minority students (Boyland et al., 2016).

At its core, the theory advocates for positive and supportive relations between educators and minority youth to ensure students’ success. According to Cummins, a supportive school-community environment is important in empowering minority communities that have been targets of institutional oppression, underrepresentation or overrepresentation and societal biases (Boyland, Kirkeby & Boyland, 2020). Cummin’s empowerment theory will be essential to this paper as it places emphasis on the need for school leaders to have a strong social justice leadership that can help move the school towards a culture of equity and inclusivity. Having such a culture will make it possible for other individuals, staff, and students to follow suit and foster a supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTQ youth in schools.

Summary of Findings from Prior Studies: Challenges Faced by LGBTQ Youth

There are major health disparities among LGBTQ as national reports show that suicide rates, as well as suicidal ideations, are disturbingly high; that is, about 29.4% of LGBTQ are reported to have attempted suicide compared to only 6.4% of heterosexuals in 2019 (Johns et al., 2019). The LGBTQ youth are also said to have a 190% probability of abusing substances compared to heterosexuals (Johns et al., 2019). Huebner, Thoma and Neilands (2017) argue that high levels of stress due to rejection, discrimination, and harassment, among others, are commonly behind such high usage of alcohol and drugs among LGBTQ youth.

Schools are said to be important in youth development as they are considered a safe haven through which individuals obtain supportive relations with peers and teachers. Such relations enhance the well-being and health outcomes of the students. However, at the same time, harassment and bullying are also common in schools, and about 21% of the students report being bullied (Day et al., 2020). According to Day et al. (2020), youth who undergo bias-based bullying due to their actual or perceived gender or sexual identity tend to have poorer mental health, higher truancy, and greater substance abuse than youths who undergo general bullying.

LGBTQ males are particularly vulnerable to victimization due to their sexuality and are normally major subjects of homophobic comments. LGBTQ youths who have been victims of bullying tend to report low levels of school connectedness, which is essential in the academic performance and general well-being of students in schools. The adverse effects felt by LGBTQ youth in schools have gained a lot of attention from schools, communities, and parents. Accordingly, the administrators have felt the need to ensure a more supportive school environment to help such youth record success in all aspects of their lives in school. As a result, various policies and strategies have been recommended and implemented in some schools. Some of them include the Gay-Straight Alliances and the Supportive School Environments.

Gay-Straight Alliances

Since the Gay-Straight Alliance came into being in 1988, it has become a key component of community-based and student-led organizations that focus on providing safe environments for LGBTQ youth. In the GSA network, a total of 28% of individuals identify themselves as heterosexuals (Callaway & Brown, 2021). Including heterosexuals in the network has come under significant criticism as the issue of how supportive the network can be of the specific mental needs affecting LGBTQ has come into play. LGBTQ youth are significant subjects of bullying and have a three and five times likelihood of committing and attempting suicide, respectively (Callaway & Brown, 2021). However, proponents believe that including heterosexuals in the group can help lessen bias-based bullying and increase social support within the school environment (Day et al., 2020). One of the ways through which poor mental health among LGBQ youth can be lessened is by generating a more supportive and inclusive school climate with the support of various school staff, policymakers, administrators and researchers. GSAs can help provide such an environment.

GSA provides an avenue for advocacy of the needs of LGBTQ individuals of varying sexualities and genders (Baams et al., 2020). Some studies show that GSAs have successfully minimized the levels of victimization of LGBTQ youth in school. There are also reports of reduced fear of safety and homophobic remarks (Marx & Kettrey, 2016; Baams et al., 2020). This fact has been supported by Li et al. (2019), who claim that with GSAs in schools, both LGBTQ and heterosexual students report heightened feelings of safety. Some scholars even report reduced anxiety and depression by students who participate in GSA programs since such programs are said to foster teacher and peer support (Fish, 2020; Wright, Wachs & Gámez-Guadix, 2022; Baams & Russell, 2021).

Furthermore, Day et al. (2020) claim that about 20% of the youth in schools with GSAs claim to obtain teacher intervention in reaction to any homophobic comments compared to only 12% of youth in schools without GSA. In their study, Day et al. (2020) found that LGBTQ youth who were in schools that implemented GSA did not actively participate in risky behaviors such as alcohol, unsafe sex and tobacco use. This study offers insightful and valid research as the sample size used was large (n-=1061) and diverse (Hispanics, African Americans, Whites, Asian Americans and Native Americans, among others) enough to warrant the generalization of the findings of the study. Day et al. (2020) also claim that supportive community-level programs, events and organizations are likely to provide protective barriers against substance use among LGBTQ youth: GSAs have been considered crucial programs for facilitating this.

Supportive School Environments (SSEs)

The SSE strategies include technical assistance and professional development, which aim to back the application of the other strategies. These other strategies include implementing guidelines to support gender non-conforming and transgender students, expanding GSAs in schools, introducing symbols and signs of support, and implementing a curriculum that includes LGBTQ students. According to Jarpe-Ratner et al. (2021), strategies that are usually combined and take note of the link between individual and environmental factors and can address at least two ecological levels are highly effective in promoting good health.

Literature Gaps

Some of the studies have been written by similar authors, which might bring about bias issues. However, using other studies to confirm or dispute the findings eliminated such biases in this study. The articles have also failed to thoroughly examine such policies as GSAs and how they impact LGBTQ youth. The majority of them have focused on the benefits obtained without necessarily identifying the possible negative effects of such a policy on LGBTQ and heterosexual students in schools. Accordingly, this proposal aims to fill this lacuna by providing an in-depth analysis of such policies and providing information on how well they can be implemented and whether they promote inclusion and acceptance.

Research Questions

What is the relationship between social support in schools and school policies supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth? What are the risk factors and protective factors of schools having gender-sexuality alliances? How does this present at different elementary, middle, and high school levels?

Does having support systems in the schools, coupled with implementing anti-bullying policies, promote acceptance and inclusion?

Study Variables

The independent variable is the assessment of social support in the school. Does the school allow staff training? Are the students encouraged to have GSA groups? Is there a school-sanctioned LGBTQ+ and peer support group? These are all things that could lead to a variety of outcomes. The dependent variables would be influenced by the presence of the questions above. Do the LGBTQ+ students feel supported by the staff and other students? LGBTQ+ represents all members who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual. GSA is a community-based or student-led organization that aims at providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ individuals.

A Likert scale with responses that measure an attitude or feeling regarding each question will be used. A semantic differential scale in which students rate on a scale of 1-10 how they feel about specific things, such as the level of support for LGBTQ youth in school, will also be used.

 References

Baams, L., & Russell, S. T. (2021). Gay-straight alliances, school functioning, and mental health: Associations for students of color and LGBTQ students. Youth & Society, 53(2), 211-229.

Beams, L., Pollitt, A. M., Laub, C., & Russell, S. T. (2020). Characteristics of schools with and without Gay-Straight Alliances. Applied developmental science, 24(4), 354-359.

Boyland, L. G., Kirkeby, K. M., & Boyland, M. I. (2018). Policies and practices supporting LGBTQ students in Indiana’s middle schools. NASSP Bulletin, 102(2), 111-140.

Boyland, L. G., Kirkeby, K. M., & Boyland, M. I. (2020). Actions and Attitudes Regarding Middle-Grade LGBTQ Students: Principals’ Perspectives. Journal of School Leadership, 30(2), 166-191.

Boyland, L. G., Swensson, J., Ellis, J. G., Coleman, L. L., & Boyland, M. I. (2016). Principals can and should make a positive difference for LGBTQ students. Journal of Leadership Education, 15(4), 117-131.

Callaway, C. R., & Brown, S. (2021). Is the GSA the Best Way: A Review of Effective Supports for LGBTQ Youth? Michigan Academician, 47(3), 93-93.

Day, J. K., Fish, J. N., Grossman, A. H., & Russell, S. T. (2020). Gay‐straight alliances, inclusive policy, and school climate: LGBTQ youths’ experiences of social support and bullying. Journal of research on adolescence, 30, 418-430.

Fish, J. N. (2020). Future directions in understanding and addressing mental health among LGBTQ youth. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 49(6), 943-956.

Huebner, D. M., Thoma, B. C., & Neilands, T. B. (2017). School victimization and substance use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adolescents. Prevention Science, 16(5), 734-743.

Jarpe-Ratner, Marshall, B., Choudry, M., Wishart, M., Reid, B., Perez, E., & Fagen, M. (2021). Strategies to Support LGBTQ+ Students in High Schools: What Did We Learn in Chicago Public Schools? Health Promotion Practice, 15248399211006492–15248399211006492. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211006492

Johns, M. M., Poteat, V. P., Horn, S. S., & Kosciw, J. (2019). Strengthening our schools to promote resilience and health among LGBTQ youth: Emerging evidence and research priorities from The State of LGBTQ Youth Health and Wellbeing Symposium. LGBT health, 6(4), 146-155. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2018.0109

Li, G., Wu, A. D., Marshall, S. K., Watson, R. J., Adjei, J. K., Park, M., & Saewyc, E. M. (2019). Investigating site-level longitudinal effects of population health interventions: Gay-Straight Alliances and school safety. SSM-population health, 7, 100350.

Marx, R. A., & Kettrey, H. H. (2016). Gay-straight alliances are associated with lower levels of school-based victimization of LGBTQ+ youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of youth and adolescence, 45(7), 1269-1282.

Watson, R. J., Park, M., Taylor, A. B., Fish, J. N., Corliss, H. L., Eisenberg, M. E., & Saewyc, E. M. (2020). Associations between community-level LGBTQ-supportive factors and substance use among sexual minority adolescents. LGBT health, 7(2), 82-89.

Wright, M. F., Wachs, S., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2022). The Role of Perceived Gay-Straight Alliance Social Support in the Longitudinal Association between Homophobic Cyberbullying and LGBTQIA Adolescents’ Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms. Journal of youth and adolescence, 1-9.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

The lit review should include previous empirical research that has been done on this problem. A minimum of 15 articles published in professional journals are required for this section. You may, of course, include additional materials such as textbooks, internet sources etc., but these materials need to be IN ADDITION to the required articles.

Literature Review- Research Proposal

Identify a critical theory or theories that have provided a basis for published studies or a theory relevant to your research topic that could be tested through your study.
This section should provide an overview of the topic. Remember that this review should be more than just a series of article summaries; it should include conceptual and empirical articles. Integrate and summarize the articles to write your own analysis of the topic, raise significant questions, and suggest issues that should be investigated further, building a case for your study. Make sure you note previous weaknesses of prior studies and note limitations on research methods, sample sizes, subjects, and instruments. Report what has NOT been studied or addressed (gaps in the literature). What additional research is needed? The need for other research studies may be based on areas that have not been fully investigated or may be based on research methods that have not been utilized.
Subheadings should be used to organize your work based on the purposes of the lit review.
Please make sure your Literature review addresses all of the following information: Please keep the page limit.
• Introduction to Topic and Problem
o Identify the topic and social welfare problem your project is addressing
o Significance of the study: Discuss the importance of your topic to social work (i.e., Indicate what implications your study’s findings will have for social work researchers, practitioners, or policymakers).
• Identify a critical theory or a theory relevant to your research question and discuss how you would use the theory to ground your study
• Summary of findings from prior studies about your problem area
• The documented gap in the literature that your study will address
o What is unknown? Please identify the knowledge gap
• State your research question and hypotheses.
• Describe the major variables of your study
o Provide brief conceptual definitions (where appropriate).
o Define the measures/tools you will use to collect data by operationalizing pertinent independent and dependent variables.