PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Students seek out individualized supportive networks to navigate challenges and use different strategies to overcome adversity in their lives (Greene et al., 2003; Zolli & Healy, 2012). Transgender students may navigate campus in different ways, experiencing a cross-section of varying challenges and issues unique to their understanding of themselves, their identity, and the larger community (Bilodeau, 2005, 2007, 2009; Hill, 2003; Nicolazzo, 2016b). The study explores the experiences of the resiliency of transgender students who have joined gender-based student organizations (i.e., fraternities and sororities). This research investigates two main research questions: (a) What is the story of resilience for transgender students who are members of gender-based organizations at colleges in the United States? and (b) To what extent does transgender students' involvement in gender-based organizations contribute to their resiliency in college? The eight themes developed in partnership with the study participants from this narrative inquiry are (1) Self-Advocacy, (2) Emotional Well-Being, (3) Desire for Connection, (4) Acknowledgement of Individual Strengths and Limitations, (5) Positive Mindset, (6) Recognition of Challenges with Organizations, (7) Feelings of Empowerment from Participating in this Study, and (8) the Benefits of Privilege. Each theme provides an opportunity for discussion, understanding resiliency, and the role college communities play in that experience from the view of transgender students. The narratives provided by participants revealed a complex interplay of multiple identities and how these intersections mediate the participants' lived experiences well beyond one singular focus. Thus, the complexities of those experiences demand complex solutions to promote and provide a welcoming college environment. Just as we have long recognized within higher education that no one program, training, or experience will have a long-lasting impact on addressing c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christa Porter (Committee Member); Tara Hudson (Committee Chair); Theresa Walton-fisette (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Gender; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Counselor Education

Many students who identify as trans* experience discrimination, harassment, and marginalization in their homes, communities, and schools. Professional School Counselors are positioned as pillars of support and advocacy for trans* and gender-expansive youth as dictated by professional standards, however, literature reflects a lack of confidence and competence in working with trans* youth and their families. There is a dearth of professional counseling literature that addresses factors leading to increased school counselor competence with trans* students. The current study proposes to expand this research, through a cross-sectional survey design, surveying professional school counselors in the United States working with students in the K-12 public school system. This study has implications for professional school counselors, CITs, and counselor education programs.

Committee: Madeline Clark (Committee Chair); Hansori Jang (Committee Member); Tahani Dari (Committee Member); Stacey Litam (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Gender; School Counseling

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, Educational Leadership

Despite growing literature about LGBTQ populations and prominence of transgender people within popular media, the lives of college students who identify as non-binary/transgender have received little attention, nor in-depth study into their complex lives. This study addressed this lack of literature by inquiring into the ways in which non-binary transgender collegians enacted resistance in response to binary genderism on college campuses and the affective impact it had on them as individuals. I conducted narrative and arts-based inquiry with nine non-binary transgender-identified college students (both undergraduate and graduate level). Through two in-depth interviews focused on their stories and experiences, followed by a photo elicitation and a combined debriefing interview, I investigated the “constellations of feelings” and emotions evoked from resistant behaviors that participants employed. Eight of the nine participants participated in the full set of three interviews and shared photos from their respective campuses and corresponding stories related to the photos. One participant participated in two in-depth interviews. Participants attended different institutions, with different institutional types, and also represented different regions of the United States. Using poststructural and critical theories, primarily affect theory, I synthesized common emotional dispositions (affects) tethered to the process of resistance. Although they shared distinct stories, prevalent affects came through their discourse, behaviors, and feelings that they shared, although these affects differed in relation to the context, objects, people, and their own identities. Affects that I specifically analyzed were unhappiness, anger, ambivalence, despair, and love. This study carries implications for higher education. Namely, I explore affect theory's utility for studying marginalized populations within higher education, love as a means to promote productive resistance, strateg (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stephen Quaye (Committee Chair); Elisa Abes (Committee Member); Lisa Weems (Committee Member); Stefanie Dunning (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Psychology/Clinical

The transgender community is widely discriminated against for not conforming to cultural expectations of how gender is experienced and portrayed. Living in continuously oppressive social conditions threatens transgender young adults' emotional and mental well-being, as well as their academic success. Colleges and universities are increasing their efforts to create safe and inclusive environments for gender diverse individuals in higher education. Transgender students' viewpoints are critically important in helping universities make informed, sensitive, and meaningful solutions to the systems level barriers that transgender students encounter on campus. The present qualitative study examined the lived experiences of 11 transgender and gender diverse university students regarding various aspects of university life. Transgender students also discussed their viewpoints on and experiences with advocating for social change related to gender diversity issues on campus. Through the qualitative analysis of in-person interviews, eight themes were identified for what aspects of campus life participants desired to be changed in order to improve the campus climate for the transgender community. Findings also provide insights into students' personal beliefs about advocacy efforts related to transgender issues. Implications of the findings for future research and advocacy efforts are discussed.

Committee: Catherine Stein Ph.D. (Advisor); Dryw Dworsky Ph.D. (Committee Member); Craig Vickio Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Education; Gender; Gender Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Psychology; Social Research; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, EDU Policy and Leadership

This study examined the relationship between gender-inclusive campus residence hall environments and college students' sense of belonging. The College Student Belongingness Scale (CSBS) was used for the purpose of this study, and administered via an online survey sent to students living in gender-inclusive (GI) campus housing units and those living in gender-exclusive (GE) campus housing units. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for race and GPA, was conducted to test for statistically significant differences in respondents' sense of belonging, and chi-square analyses were conducted to test for statistically significant differences on the basis of sexual orientations and gender identities between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in sense of belonging between two groups, but the ANCOVA revealed statistically significant differences in sense of belonging among students from different racial groups (specifically Asian and White students) and among students who have different levels of academic achievement as measured by GPA. Additionally, while there were no statistically significant differences in sexual orientation between the groups, there was a statistically significant difference in gender identity with more males than females living in gender-inclusive campus housing units.

Committee: Terrell Strayhorn (Advisor); Susan Jones (Committee Member); Tatiana Suspitsnya (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2012, Educational Leadership

The number of transgender students on college campuses has been increasing throughout the United States (Schneider,2010). Transgender students face unique concerns in nearly every aspect of campus life. The purpose of this research was to examine the college experiences of transgender students and recommend best practices for making college campuses more welcoming for transgender students. This phenomenological study was conducted using open ended interview questions to collect qualitative data from three transgender students at a large four year public institution in the Midwest. Respondents identified unwelcoming messages in the following areas of campus life: student activities, health services, and through the dichotomization of gender on university forms. Nine recommendations for best practices in creating a welcoming campus environment for transgender students are included in the discussion section of this thesis.

Committee: Suzanne Franco EdD (Committee Chair); McGinley Sarah MA (Committee Member); DuVivier Roxanne PhD (Committee Member); Jill Lindsey PhD (Other) Subjects: Continuing Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; School Administration; Secondary Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Policy and Leadership

Increasingly discussions about gender neutral housing policies are beginning on campuses of higher education around the United States. Currently there is a dearth of information on how to begin drafting such a policy and no standards exist to consult for the comprehensiveness of a policy. Administrators interested in creating these policies must take into account a variety of factors, both logistical and ethical when creating a gender neutral housing policy. This study utilizes a single-site case study methodology to understand the process two administrators underwent at one institution as they attempted to implement a policy of Mixed Gender Housing at their university. This study found that the need for explicit inclusion of transgender students in the verbiage of a policy is essential in order to promote a campus community that is supportive of providing transgender students with on-campus living environments conducive to their needs. The exclusion of transgender students from policy discussion such as this institutionalizes and reinforces campus-wide transphobia, and perpetuates an essentialist understanding of gender identity as a dichotomy.

Committee: Susan Jones PhD (Advisor); Terrell Strayhorn PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2012, Higher Education Administration

This study used intersectionality as a framework and methodology to understand identity among sexually marginalized undergraduate college students of color. The research questions were as follows: 1. What are the experiences of QLGBTSGL (Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Same Gender Loving) undergraduate students of color on a college campus? How do QLGBTSGL undergraduate students of color perceive their college experiences to be different from and similar to other students in college? 2. How do environmental factors (e.g., spiritual community, society, family, student organizations, and support groups) affect identity development for QLGBTSGL undergraduate students of color in college? 3. How do interpersonal relationships, such as those with friends, family, and romantic partners, influence identity development for QLGBTSGL undergraduate students of color in college? 4. How do QLGBTSGL undergraduate students of color make meaning of their identities? In what ways do identity consistency and coherence characterize their identity meaning-making? The literature implied that while substantial research has been done in identity and identity development in student affairs, including in race, gender, sexuality, and environment, the intersections and interactions of those identities had been less explored in research, if at all. The findings produced three emerging themes related to the unheard voices of the population at hand: defining self; intersections and interactions of identities and social group memberships; and defining ethics, morals, and values. The conclusions and implications both confirm previous findings on identity and identity development, while also acknowledging new areas of knowledge, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research.

Committee: Dafina Stewart PhD (Committee Chair); Kimberly Coates (Committee Member); Ellen Broido (Committee Member); Patricia Kubow (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Hispanic Americans