Date of Conferral

9-24-2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Crissie Jameson

Abstract

The problem addressed through this study is that middle school teachers struggle to incorporate LGBTQ+ issues into their classrooms. As the middle school years are pivotal, teachers may need support to be inclusive of their LGBTQ+ students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate how middle school teachers incorporate LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom, as well as these teachers’ perceptions of their successes and challenges in doing so. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was queer pedagogy, which questions the normalization of heterosexuality and cisgenderism through pedagogical praxis. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 middle school teachers who had at least 3 years of experience and were recruited nationwide via social media Open coding was used for the first round of coding, while pattern coding was used for the second round of coding. The four main themes identified in the data were (a) the importance of teachers’ connections with LGBTQ+ students, (b) outside needs for successful LGBTQ+ inclusion, (c) teachers using curriculum to connect with LGBTQ+ students, and (d) that middle school is challenging for most students. The key recommendations for teachers’ connection with LGBTQ+ students are to incorporate multiple LGBTQ+ inclusionary strategies, to normalize LGBTQ+ discussions, and to provide professional development to support teachers in helping their LGBTQ+ students. These recommendations have the potential for positive social change as the entire school community can learn to understand LGBTQ+ issues and develop empathy for those in their community while LGBTQ+ students can feel more included and connected.

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