Date of Award
8-30-2022
Document Type
Campus Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education/Higher Education PhD
First Advisor
Katalin Szelenyi
Second Advisor
Tara L. Parker
Third Advisor
Alyssa Rockenbach
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine how LGBTQ+ resources, services, and experiences at colleges and universities shape students’ sexual identity development experience. Relevant and relatable to the experience of students navigating their sexual identity development. research is conclusive in establishing positive links between students’ involvement in cultural campus activities, cultural student organizations, or cultural safe space and their cultural, racial, or ethnic identity development. This narrative inquiry study seeks to investigate whether the same may be true for students navigating their sexual identity development journeys during college who are engaging with formal LGBTQ+ resources and services, as well as with informal opportunities for queer community and safe experiences. Approaching this problem from the inverse perspective of negative campus climate, this study instead seeks to examine the proposed educational problem by listening to the stories of students who intentionally sought a college environment they perceived to be supportive and inclusive of LGBTQ+ students. The central question guiding this study is: How are students’ experiences of sexual identity development shaped during college in the context their engagement with LGBTQ+ resources, supports, and experiences on their college campuses?
Recommended Citation
Todd, Meghan Lindsley, "“A Really Beautiful Personal Journey” A Narrative Study Examining How Formal and Informal LGBTQ+ Resources, Services, and Experiences Shape College Students’ Sexual Identity Development" (2022). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. 763.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations/763
Comments
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