Out For Summer: Supporting LGBTQ Pre-Service Teachers in Teach For America
Degree type
Graduate group
Discipline
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Subject
Pre-Service
Quantitative
Survey
Teach For America
Teachers
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Abstract
Research on the experiences and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) teachers suggests there are supports and conditions available to help make work environments inclusive and psychologically safe for LGBTQ teachers so they may focus on students. While there is a growing body of literature on LGBTQ in-service teachers and professionals, less often has the perspective of the LGBTQ pre-service teacher been tapped. Pre-service teachers in 2023 are now likely to be part of “Generation Z,” a generation that, compared to previous generations, is more likely to celebrate diversity, self-expression, and queerness. It is estimated that up to 17% of Generation Z adults may identify as LGBTQ (Schmidt, 2021); supporting this group during their pre-service training could help to ensure they become lasting and successful in-service teachers (Haddad, 2019).This quantitative study focuses on how LGBTQ Teach For America (TFA) corps members’ rate supports or conditions that may have been present in their region during pre-service using a seven-point Likert scale on a 39-item survey. The survey was an optional addendum for LGBTQ corps members taking the 2023 National TFA Pre-Service Feedback Survey. The addendum was sanctioned and disseminated by TFA and was thus added to their normal programming. Participants also rated their overall experience and satisfaction with TFA during pre-service. The 390 participants were among the over 2,000 new corps members who started their service in the summer of 2023 across the United States. This study used multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between LGBTQ corps members’ receipt of the five most highly rated conditions/supports and whether that led to greater satisfaction with TFA’s pre-service training. Results indicated that the five most highly rated conditions/supports were: living in a state that protects LGBTQ rights, staff actively rebuking homophobia and transphobia, staff being trained on LGBTQ inclusion and sensitivities, staff making no assumptions of sexuality or gender identity, and addressing local/state laws that protect or harm LGBTQ people in at least one session. Four of the five conditions/supports had a statistically significant relationship to improving satisfaction with the program. Recommendations about conditions and supports likely for improving LGBTQ pre-service teachers’ experiences are also addressed.