102096 Researching Teaching and Learning 1

Assignment 2 - Critical Analysis of Research

Name: Tony Dimrajian

SID: 19058173
Critical Analysis

Same-sex attracted and gender diverse (SSAGD) individuals in Australian schools have had

to face a number of rising challenges present in the schooling environment. Hence, it is of

pivotal importance that research is undertaken, assessed and evaluated to work towards

solutions for the challenges faced by SSAGD individuals, and to improve teaching practices

and the educational system to account for all students. In the article ‘The Impact of

Homophobic Bullying during Sport and Physical Education Participation on Same-Sex-

Attracted and Gender-Diverse Young Australians’ Depression and Anxiety Levels’, Symons,

O’Sullivan, Borkoles, Anderson & Polman (2014) delve beneath the surface of the causes

and effects linked to the bullying of SSAGD youth, with a strong focus on the challenges

they face in PE (Physical Education) class. This article will be critically analysed and

compared with Ullman’s (2014) article ‘Ladylike/butch, sporty/dapper: exploring ‘gender

climate’ with Australian LGBTQ students using stage–environment fit theory’, which also

aims to explore concerns for sexually diverse students, but with a greater focus on how the

school-based marginalisation of these students is associated with declining school outcomes.

These two studies explore different aspects of the challenges faced by SSAGD students,

however they both share an underlying motive to gather insightful findings about these

challenges and consider the implications that they have for teaching practice based on student

perspectives.

A critical evaluation and juxtaposition of the aims and conclusions of these two studies can

provide a deepened understanding of what the most substantial implications are for teaching

practice. The purpose of Symons et al.’s (2014) study was to investigate the association

between homophobic bullying in sports settings and the mental health of SSAGD Australian
youth. In contrast, the aim of Ullman’s (2014) study was to explore how marginalised

SSAGD students appear to have declining school outcomes and consider educational research

recommendations that can help improve pedagogical practice to properly facilitate for these

students. Symons et al. (2014) conclude that curriculum and policy writers as well as PE

teachers are in a position to provide a safer and more inclusive school environment for

sexually diverse students. Similarly, Ullman (2014) makes the deduction that those best fit to

encourage acceptance of SSAGD youth are the ones in charge of shaping pedagogy. Her

study concludes that the organisational, instructional and interpersonal elements of school life

do not account for sexually diverse individuals and suggests that teachers hold much

responsibility for how they enforce school rules and interpret the syllabus for allowances

about sexual and gender diversity. Both studies also emphasise the importance of challenging

the use of homophobic language in order to create environments where SSAGD students feel

safe and accepted by their fellow peers.

Both articles provide an insightful review of the literature related to the difficulties faced by

SSAGD individuals within the school environment. Moreover, they are both driven by a

determination to address the gaps and limitations that exist in current research. Both studies

effectively summarise and synthesise research they’ve used to come to their conclusions; an

ability that demonstrates that they understand the information on the topic very well (Denney,

& Tewksbury, 2013). Symons et al.’s (2014) research manuscript particularly prioritises

highlighting the psychology, health and wellbeing of SSAGD youth; and is especially fixated

on confronting challenges they face in the Key Learning Area (KLA) of PE. Ullman’s (2014)

article on the other hand, draws research from references across a wider range of aspects

pertaining to the educational setting including culture, student-teacher relationships, risk

factors and classroom environments. In arguing that the marginalisation of SSAGD students
is linked to lower school outcomes, Ullman cites Hillier, Turner and Mitchell (2005) who

argue that these students suffer from safety fears, and Poteat and Espelage (2007) who state

these students have lower attendance rates, as well as Murdock and Bolch (2005) who report

they have lower achievement in school. Whilst both literature reviews gather information

from recent secondary sources, Ullman’s (2014) literature review is more extensive and

thorough as it addresses a greater range of elements pertaining to school life.

The two studies utilise quite different data collection processes. Symons et al.’s (2014)

collected data via an online survey that yielded 586 participants. This survey consisted of

nine sections and included a number of quantitative and qualitative questions for participants

to answer. Ullman’s (2014) study utilised a purely qualitative data collection process that

involved interviewing five students aged 16-19 from the western suburbs of Sydney to better

understand the impacts of gender climate from their perspectives. These students consisted of

two lesbian women, one bisexual woman, one young man who identified as gay and one

transgendered young man. Each of these two quite different processes has benefits and

limitations. Whilst the online survey used by Symons et al.’ (2014) study was able to gain the

insights of hundreds of SSAGD and heterosexual youth, Ullman’s (2014) study was more

likely to have explored the stories of each of the interviewed students in greater depth and on

a more personal level. However, the data collection process used by Ullman’s (2014) study

was limited as it would not be feasible to personally interview hundreds of students in such

length and depth. Overall, whilst both data collection processes have their own strengths and

weaknesses, both studies have effectively utilised their processes to gather insightful and

useful findings that aided them in understanding the implications that challenges faced by

SSAGD students have on teaching practice, and in determining plausible suggestions and

recommendations to address these challenges.

The research methodologies implemented by both of these studies were very different and

suited to each of their separate data collection processes. Symons et al.’s (2014) study

promoted their online survey through Facebook, online advertising and a number of SSAGD

youth and sport networks. A total of 586 participants aged 14-23 responded (399 of them

being SSAGD). Alternatively, in Ullman’s (2014) study, the candidates to be interviewed

were chosen using a snowball sampling technique that involved them being discovered

through two organisations for sexually diverse youth and engaging them in the research

through word of mouth and peer-to-peer suggestion. One of the limitations of Ullman’s

research methodology is the number of participants that were involved, as it is only a small

handful of students and we are only obtaining perspectives from sexually diverse individuals.

Having less participants does come with the benefit of being able to effectively delve deeper

into the headspace of each participant, however it could also be useful if teachers or

heterosexual students were also interviewed to gain insights from them as well. Symons et

al.’s methodological approach was notably fit for the size and scope of the data they

anticipated to collect. With access to a large online population, the use of online surveys is

increasing as they prove to be particularly useful for gathering and filtering data and

information (Rosa, Bressan & Toledo, 2012). Overall, both studies utilised suitable research

methodologies based on the data collection processes they chose to undertake and based on

the context of and amount of participants they requested feedback from.

Each of the studies revealed evidence of the types of difficulties faced by SSAGD students

and their severity. Symons et al.’s (2014) research findings were not categorised by themes,

but rather generally outlined that homophobic verbal abuse was strongly linked to higher

scores of depression anxiety and stress for SSAGD youth. Furthermore, this verbal abuse was
found to be most prominent during PE class with students reporting both direct and indirect

homophobic language being used. Additionally, almost half of the gender diverse participants

stated that they had considered self-harm or suicide and two thirds believed school to be a

transphobic environment. As a whole, the results of the Symons et al.’s (2014) study strongly

supported the notion that concerns over the mental health and wellbeing of SSAGD students

are considerable. The results of Ullman’s (2014) study were categorised and divided into

three carefully chosen sections: organisational, instructional and interpersonal components of

school life. The research findings were broken down in this way to analyse each of the

different aspects of school life with relation to the feedback from participants.

Organisational components pertain to the policing of appearance and expression and here

Ullman reveals that her findings show how schools discourage gender expression through

uniform and policies about student appearance. Instructional components relate to notable

silences and a gendered curriculum, and Ullman’s findings show that the interviewees

reported how gender stereotypes are evident even with school staff and seem to press

limitations and expectations on what students can feel motivated to learn. Interpersonal

components revolve around students fitting in and gaining favour. Ullman draws on

numerous sources to argue that not only does marginalisation directly affect school outcomes

for the minority, but also that there is a link between a student’s sense of belonging and their

awareness of gender climate. One of Ullman’s interviewees, 19-year-old bisexual female

Hazel who attended a co-educational public school, furthered this argument saying “I’d walk

into a [class]room - everyone either moves away or starts insulting me. And… the teachers

didn’t do anything about it.” The feedback from other participants also aligned with this

view, expressing that school staff and even principals wouldn’t take action against forms of

discrimination towards them. Both studies provided conclusive, yet differently presented
research findings and discussions on what can be deduced from the results.

Based on the analysis, findings and conclusions of these two articles, there are a range of

implications to consider, that rising SSAGD challenges have on teaching practice and the

educational system. Symons et al.’s (2014) study presents a number of suggestions aimed

towards improving the mental health and wellbeing of sexually diverse students. One such

suggestion is to have a focus on creating safer and more welcoming PE environments for

these students by teachers encouraging sport participation and preventing negative

experiences of SSAGD students from stopping them actively taking part in sport. Also, as

unconditional self-acceptance appeared to be a strong protective factor against how verbal

bullying affected the wellbeing of SSAGD students, addressing the self-acceptance of these

students can help to build resilience for these individuals. Symons et al.’s (2014) study also

recommends that due to the gendered nature of sport and PE, policy changes and education

for PE teachers can help to support gender diverse students. This study also suggests that to

account for any homophobic or transphobic languages used in class, it is the duty of school

leaders such as teachers and coaches to state and uphold a level of positive behaviour and

maintain what is acceptable during lessons.

Ullman’s (2014) study also presents some recommendations on how to account for each of

the three components of school life for SSAGD discussed in her findings. She suggests that

school policies could be revised to give students more control over how they present

themselves at school to pave the way for school-wide acceptance of the self-expressions of

sexually diverse individuals. Ullman also advises that content and material could explore

theories pertaining to SSAGD students. She states that differences in sexuality and gender

identity and relevant social theories could be discussed in many KLAs well within the scope
of the curriculum, which would consequently help sexually diverse students feel more

included and accepted, and would also combat the stereotypes and biases surrounding these

individuals. Ullman suggests that on an interpersonal level, school policies could be altered to

account for sexually diverse students so that they can feel safer and more open about their

own identity. She also proposes that training for teachers and pre-service teachers is required

in order for such policy changes as these. The continuing negative impacts of discourses on

individuals attracted to the same-sex are made evident in Australian schools and teaching

pedagogies. New South Wales Government educational policy on homosexuality expresses

that such discourses do not effectively portray how complex and fluid sexual identities truly

are (Ferfolja, 2013). Overall, the suggestions from both studies help demonstrate how

evidence-based practice that tackles key teaching and learning issues, is the best long-term

approach to developing improvements in education (Gall et al., 2015).

In conclusion, a critical analysis and comparison of the studies undertaken by Symons et al.

(2014) and Ullman (2014) on the challenges faced by SSAGD students, has offered

meaningful insight into some of the implications for teaching practice and schools. A

juxtaposition and evaluation of these two studies also provides a deepened understanding of

some of the various benefits, gaps and limitations involved in the research process pertaining

to the purpose, literature review, data collection process, methodological approach, results,

discussion and conclusion of an effective study. Finally, a critical analysis of both studies has

demonstrated the value and relevance that research has for current and future teaching

practice, and for the educational system.

References

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Ferfolja, T. (2013). Sexual diversity, discrimination and ‘homosexuality policy’ in New

South Wales' government schools. Sex Education, 13(2), 159-171.

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Gall, M.D., Gall, J.P., & Borg, W.R. (2015). Applying educational research. How to read, do

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