LGBT+ Inclusion and Exclusion in Scottish Schools

This proposal outlines a project that will analyse educational policies, uncover cultural understandings of gender and sexuality diversity that facilitate or hinder practice, and explore pathways to initiate, support or enhance schooling responses to homophobia and transphobia within the parameters afforded by the Scottish context. Focusing on homophobia, transphobia and schooling, this research recognises that learning occurs across settings—from the classroom to community contexts and its impact is through raising social awareness and creating possibilities for social change within and beyond schools. The study addresses the following research questions: how, whether, and under what conditions are LGBT+ inclusion and exclusion understood and responded to in Scottish schools? In shaping the contours of the research, it is being designed and refined in dialogue with teachers, headteachers, teacher educators and community-based organisations to ensure the relevance and value of the findings to the participants and their communities while also modelling an inclusive research approach. The research deploys a mixed-method approach – an online quantitative survey and qualitative interviews with learners, teachers, headteachers, and community-based organisations to help establish connections between the different sample groups, triangulate the diverse data strands, and draw well-substantiated conclusions. The research aims to provide insights into the critical roles educational staff and community-based organisations can play in responding to homophobia and transphobia, and what actions are necessary to promote an inclusive culture not only for LGBT+ youth but for all learners in schools.