Justice in Practice: An Investigation of the Instructional Practices of LGBTQ Supportive English Language Arts Teachers

Abstract

This dissertation study investigates the instructional practices of secondary English Language Arts teachers with strong intentions to be supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students. Comprised of three manuscripts written for journal publication, the dissertation includes (1) a frame analysis of scholarship on LGBTQ issues in education that presents a periodization of the literature since 1969, (2) a comparative case study one of teachers' responses to public prejudice in the classroom, and (3) a comparative case study of teachers' engagement strategies when teaching LGBTQ content. By investigating how teachers supported students from a historically marginalized social group within the nuance of their daily classroom instruction, this research bridges the gap between scholarship on teaching practice and social foundations scholarship on equity and identity. Developing a sophisticated understanding of how teachers promote justice and equity within their daily work as classroom instructors will benefit scholarly communities primarily interested in equity and those primarily interested in instruction.