Week 6: People*
Hello, and welcome to week six of my AP Research blog. Since last week, we've come quite a long way...
Bare bones outline of lit review? Check!
Annotated bibliography for sources in my lit review? Check!
My actual lit review?
While I have a mountain of material to work with, I don't quite know what to do with it. Imagine a contestant on Project Runway who has unlimited resources and not a single second's worth of experience in fashion, and thus nowhere to begin. (So, basically, imagine me on Project Runway.)
But that's where my blog comes in! This week, I'll be sharing the preliminary design of my literature review, and your job will be to criticize me--until I cry, if possible. OK, maybe not that much, but you get the idea: don't hold back! If something doesn't make sense to you, that is exactly the thing I need to improve. Still, positive comments are always welcome, and if a connection seems super solid, feel free to let me know so that I don't accidentally pull a Britney 2007 and get rid of it as part of a dramatic assertion of my independence from the system.
Let's jump right into it then, shall we?
First and foremost, I have to talk about the discrimination faced by LGBTQ people in America. There's no two ways about it, and any way you slice it--sex ed, sexual harassment, bullying, wedding cakes--that's the main issue from which my primary research will draw its significance. Through my research, I've learned that bullying stems from the social inequalities of and discrimination against minority groups, including sexual and gender minorities like LGBTQ people. After addressing homophobia and transphobia in America (from Don't Ask Don't Tell to the recently proposed transgender military ban), I can easily segue into the idea of bullying as a three-dimensional interaction between people with and without certain social powers.
From here, I envision a short discussion about bullying and the popular discourse surrounding it: bullying is a reflection of discrimination that exists in society at large, and though some researchers argue that typical conversations about bullying only serve to oversimplify the issue, they can all essentially agree that bullying is not a spontaneous interaction among youth but rather a manifestation of the social dynamics that students internalize in situations that take place outside of the classroom (through parents, siblings, media, etc.). The question that arises, then, is how experiencing this discrimination impacts the general health of a student, because schools, on top of teaching, should work to ensure the wellbeing of all their students. If a school does not fulfill this purpose, then they must rectify their shortcomings.
Luckily, there is a plentiful supply of research concerning the relationship between LGBTQ youth and their social circumstances, lending a thorough look at student health. These include potential issues regarding physical health, such as threats and injuries resulting from bullying, and mental health, such as depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Here, the most important takeaway is that experiencing general discrimination and discriminatory bullying in particular will serve to exacerbate the vulnerability of LGBTQ youth to mental health issues.
Therefore, I plan to argue, schools must engage with urgency in an effort towards preventing LGBTQ-specific bullying within their school grounds. Bullying is based upon social dynamics--i.e., the power of one group to oppress or marginalize another--and this power imbalance between cisgender/heterosexual (cis/het, or non-LGBTQ) students and LGBTQ students offers an explanation as to why homophobic bullying occurs. However, there is another group in the school ecosystem with yet more power than cis/het students: staff and teachers, regardless of their sexual or gender identity.
These figures hold the authority to report students to higher levels of administration, contact parents, and ultimately push for punishment or expulsion. Because teachers and staff hold a unique advantage in situations of social inequality among students, they should be readily equipped with all the information necessary to handle such situations and even teach students about the importance of acceptance. In fact, studies indicate that bullying prevention training for teachers has succeeded in increasing perceived teacher efficacy in handling bullying situations.
However, as a wise woman once said, nobody's perfect. Teachers and school staff are likely to be limited in their understandings of LGBTQ issues as a whole, and therefore the manifestation of these issues within a school setting. In order to identify widespread misunderstandings or gaps in knowledge regarding the experiences of LGBTQ students, this population must be further examined. After all, if schools need to implement comprehensive training methods to prevent homophobic bullying and therefore the dangers posed to vulnerable students, the necessary training content must first be established.
Well, there you have it. A very rough idea of the logical flow in my ever-developing lit review. I do have a few questions, though:
1. What am I missing? This feels logical to me. Almost... too logical. It's fishy. I feel like there must be some issue I'm oversimplifying, or some perspective I'm overlooking. Which reminds me...
2. What do you think? Well? Teachers. Schools. Bullying. Cis/het students. LGBTQ students. I want your opinion on all of it, any of it--what ideas about this issue am I perhaps glossing over, or failing to account for? Let me know in the comments, and maybe YOU will end up with a cameo in my final lit review. Who knows?
Other than those questions, though, I'm feeling pretty solid about where I am in the research process.
Thanks for reading. Now, rip me to shreds.
Until next time,
Vanessa
(929)
*Good thing of the week!
Bare bones outline of lit review? Check!
Annotated bibliography for sources in my lit review? Check!
My actual lit review?
 |
| Who hasn't been through a 1D phase? This is one goes out to Abby. |
While I have a mountain of material to work with, I don't quite know what to do with it. Imagine a contestant on Project Runway who has unlimited resources and not a single second's worth of experience in fashion, and thus nowhere to begin. (So, basically, imagine me on Project Runway.)
But that's where my blog comes in! This week, I'll be sharing the preliminary design of my literature review, and your job will be to criticize me--until I cry, if possible. OK, maybe not that much, but you get the idea: don't hold back! If something doesn't make sense to you, that is exactly the thing I need to improve. Still, positive comments are always welcome, and if a connection seems super solid, feel free to let me know so that I don't accidentally pull a Britney 2007 and get rid of it as part of a dramatic assertion of my independence from the system.
 |
| Whatever, Britney. I get it. I'm glad to see you back, doing your thing. |
Let's jump right into it then, shall we?
First and foremost, I have to talk about the discrimination faced by LGBTQ people in America. There's no two ways about it, and any way you slice it--sex ed, sexual harassment, bullying, wedding cakes--that's the main issue from which my primary research will draw its significance. Through my research, I've learned that bullying stems from the social inequalities of and discrimination against minority groups, including sexual and gender minorities like LGBTQ people. After addressing homophobia and transphobia in America (from Don't Ask Don't Tell to the recently proposed transgender military ban), I can easily segue into the idea of bullying as a three-dimensional interaction between people with and without certain social powers.
From here, I envision a short discussion about bullying and the popular discourse surrounding it: bullying is a reflection of discrimination that exists in society at large, and though some researchers argue that typical conversations about bullying only serve to oversimplify the issue, they can all essentially agree that bullying is not a spontaneous interaction among youth but rather a manifestation of the social dynamics that students internalize in situations that take place outside of the classroom (through parents, siblings, media, etc.). The question that arises, then, is how experiencing this discrimination impacts the general health of a student, because schools, on top of teaching, should work to ensure the wellbeing of all their students. If a school does not fulfill this purpose, then they must rectify their shortcomings.
Luckily, there is a plentiful supply of research concerning the relationship between LGBTQ youth and their social circumstances, lending a thorough look at student health. These include potential issues regarding physical health, such as threats and injuries resulting from bullying, and mental health, such as depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Here, the most important takeaway is that experiencing general discrimination and discriminatory bullying in particular will serve to exacerbate the vulnerability of LGBTQ youth to mental health issues.
Therefore, I plan to argue, schools must engage with urgency in an effort towards preventing LGBTQ-specific bullying within their school grounds. Bullying is based upon social dynamics--i.e., the power of one group to oppress or marginalize another--and this power imbalance between cisgender/heterosexual (cis/het, or non-LGBTQ) students and LGBTQ students offers an explanation as to why homophobic bullying occurs. However, there is another group in the school ecosystem with yet more power than cis/het students: staff and teachers, regardless of their sexual or gender identity.
These figures hold the authority to report students to higher levels of administration, contact parents, and ultimately push for punishment or expulsion. Because teachers and staff hold a unique advantage in situations of social inequality among students, they should be readily equipped with all the information necessary to handle such situations and even teach students about the importance of acceptance. In fact, studies indicate that bullying prevention training for teachers has succeeded in increasing perceived teacher efficacy in handling bullying situations.
However, as a wise woman once said, nobody's perfect. Teachers and school staff are likely to be limited in their understandings of LGBTQ issues as a whole, and therefore the manifestation of these issues within a school setting. In order to identify widespread misunderstandings or gaps in knowledge regarding the experiences of LGBTQ students, this population must be further examined. After all, if schools need to implement comprehensive training methods to prevent homophobic bullying and therefore the dangers posed to vulnerable students, the necessary training content must first be established.
Well, there you have it. A very rough idea of the logical flow in my ever-developing lit review. I do have a few questions, though:
1. What am I missing? This feels logical to me. Almost... too logical. It's fishy. I feel like there must be some issue I'm oversimplifying, or some perspective I'm overlooking. Which reminds me...
2. What do you think? Well? Teachers. Schools. Bullying. Cis/het students. LGBTQ students. I want your opinion on all of it, any of it--what ideas about this issue am I perhaps glossing over, or failing to account for? Let me know in the comments, and maybe YOU will end up with a cameo in my final lit review. Who knows?
Other than those questions, though, I'm feeling pretty solid about where I am in the research process.
 |
| OK, it's not Elaine Benes. But a new gif every week? Tall order. And it's still Julia Louis-Dreyfus! That has to count for something. |
Thanks for reading. Now, rip me to shreds.
Until next time,
Vanessa
(929)
*Good thing of the week!
maynaise
ReplyDeleteI will unashamedly admit that I’ve had a few (very short) 1D phases myself.
ReplyDeleteLet’s discuss the possible issues first. I feel that you picked bullying out of a bowl of “ways that LGBTQ people face discrimination.” From a rigorous research standpoint, why does bullying in particular matter? Some statistics might be useful, which you will likely find in the sources you have now.
I’ve picked up on two assumptions inherent to the whole blog post. First, does the ability of staff/teachers to stop bullying translate into actual action? Second, from an ethical stance, does the school have a true obligation to *help* its students in every sense of the word? At the very least, you could look into sources with similar research as yours, and see how they addressed (or even dodged) these issues.
On a completely unrelated note, you should check how much your sources address other factors in bullying. As discussed a while back, the power dynamics of bullying will be influenced by factors other than sexuality or gender identity (race, religion, biological gender, and “nerdiness” come to mind). How easy is it to understand bullying from an LGBTQ standpoint, when all the other facets could come into play at any point?
In the end, the logic flow does make lots of sense, and you do have a nice, wholesome understanding about the topic. I found this post fascinating and fun, and I look forward to learning more about your project tomorrow and down the line too!
(251)
--Miguel
To start, I would agree that your argument does feel somewhat oversimplified, or maybe not as nuanced as a Research project should be. It just seems like your argument is too direct, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it means that you have though it through.
ReplyDeleteI think that something that could make your research more nuanced is focusing on the implementation of an LGTBQ bullying prevention program of some sort, if that is what you plan on studying, especially because, as you mentioned, teachers and staff play a large part in bullying in schools. Moreover, I think that conducting this kind of research in Arizona would be especially interesting to look at because Arizona is generally conservative, so the teachers and staff themselves probably have varying views on LGBTQ students. Basically, I think that looking at the political views of faculty in relation to LGBTQ bullying in schools could also increase the complexity of your subtopics.
I guess that one assumption that you seem to make is that LGBTQ discrimination does occur in schools, and given that you will likely have a limited dataset or sample to study, this could undermine your research. Moreover, I am not sure how proving that LGBTQ discrimination exists -- if this becomes necessary -- would go.
Hopefully that helps!
(215)
-Thomas
I should probably get around to using more GIFs in my posts. Overall, it seems that the flow of your lit review makes sense; LGBTQ discrimination is the most current and engaging aspect of your project – there has probably been tons of research on just bullying – so it makes that it's the focus of your first subtopic. Similarly, the intersection of LGBTQ issues and bullying makes plenty of sense and doesn't seem that contrived. However, after this point, I feel like your argument begins to rely on assumptions that you don't mention explicitly in this post. For example, I don't think it can be assumed that schools can effectively prevent LGBTQ-targeted bullying on campus. Lots of bullying these days is not that obvious, and the most significant LGBTQ-targeted bullying might take place in forms not easily detectable by school staff and teachers – an example might be cyberbullying. While you partially justify this, you definitely want to nail this point, since its essential to your argument. Regardless, I feel like this outline of your ideas gives a clear impression of how your lit review will look like.
ReplyDelete(186)