Department of Sociology LGB students in secondary schools: Results of a survey study in Flanders Saskia Aerts Mieke Van Houtte Alexis Dewaele Saskia.Aerts@UGent.be Mieke.VanHoutte@UGent.be Alexis.Dewaele@ua.ac.be Department of Sociology

Research problem International research Bullying and discrimination of LGB students in secondary schools Heteronormative school environment Have an impact on: Well-being and mental health School careers and future success in life

Research problem Situation in Flanders Belgium as an LGB friendly country Positive attitudes toward LGBs BUT: Heteronormativity in secondary schools Negative attitudes among secondary school students

Research problem Research question How do LGB students in Flemish secondary schools experience their school careers?  We compare school careers and experiences of LGB and heterosexual students

Research problem Sense of school belonging School motivation Focus Sense of school belonging School motivation School performance Homonegativity in the technical and vocational tracks

Research problem Online survey 1745 secondary school students: Sample 90.4% heterosexual (N: 1517) 4.4% bisexual (N: 88) 5.2% homosexual/lesbian (N: 74)

Research problem Results Lesbian and bisexual girls have a slightly lower sense of school belonging Lesbian girls are slightly less motivated to perform Lesbian girls are more likely to fail Students from technical and vocational tracks are more homonegative, but LGB students in these tracks do not perceive more bullying

Research problem

Research problem Interaction effect

Research problem Conclusion Vulnerable position of lesbian girls: Girls internalize distress more Invisibility of lesbians in society Social relations are more important for girls Lesbian girls experience other kinds of discrimination Gender role can be a disadvantage for some lesbian girls Girls struggle more with their sexual orientation

Research problem Current research In-depth interviews with 17 LGB secondary school students: Find out how they experience their school career Look for the stories behind the figures Find explanations for the vulnerable position of lesbian girls

Research problem First results Sexual orientation has a stronger influence on the school performance of girls, but only in the discovering period Boys more often felt different than the other boys before they were aware of their sexual orientation Boys saw their sexual orientation more as something given, while same-sex attractions for girls were more social and situational in nature Girls perceived the period between first awareness and self-acceptance/disclosure as harder and more often denied their sexual orientation

Research problem Interested in more? Aerts, S., Van Houtte, M., Dewaele, A., Cox, N., Vincke, J. (2012), Sense of belonging in secondary schools: A survey of LGB and heterosexual students in Flanders. Journal of Homosexuality, 59, 1, p. 90-113. Other articles: on demand (Saskia.Aerts@UGent.be)

Thanks for your attention! Saskia Aerts Mieke Van Houtte Alexis Dewaele Saskia.Aerts@UGent.be Mieke.VanHoutte@UGent.be Alexis.Dewaele@ua.ac.be Department of Sociology