Graduation Term

2023

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Psychology: School Psychology

Committee Chair

Brea M Banks

Abstract

Research suggests that school climate is a critical component in a student’s sense of safety within a school and is the foundation for student-staff relationships. Despite this recognition, school staff demonstrate an insufficient intention to intervene on witnessed acts of gender- and sexuality-based inequity and grapple with discerning what these inequities look like (Kitzinger, 2005; Thapa et al., 2013). Some research has begun to target this gap in what intervention looks like, showing signs of positive effects on microaggression workshops increasing participant intention to intervene (Ackerman-Barger et al., 2021; Moors et al., 2022). I recruited 31 undergraduate students to participate in a gender- and sexuality-based microaggressions workshop in order to close this gap in knowledge and intention to intervene in the school setting, hypothesizing that participating in the workshop would lead to increased knowledge of microaggressions, attitudes towards LGBTQ+ youth, and intentions to intervene on witnessed behavior. Results were inconsistent as the sample size was too small to produce enough power, yet marginal significance was found suggesting increased positive attitudes might moderate the relation between a participant’s engagement in the workshop and their intention to intervene on future situations of harm.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2024.20240618063951090827.999925

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