The influence of group values and behavior on adolescent male perceptions of and use of homophobic language

Abstract

Introduction:The pervasive and derogatory use of homophobic language is a threat to safe, respectful, and inclusive school environments. Group membership has been shown to influence how students use homophobic language. Previous qualitative studies have largely approached the use of this language from the theoretical framework of hegemonic masculinity. In contrast, the current study actively challenged all assumptions about the use of this language. Method: This study was conducted in a public high school located in a rural conservative Christian community in the Intermountain West (USA). Using hermeneutic qualitative methodology to assess individual perceptions of homophobic language, 20 randomly selected 12thgrade male students (17-18 years of age) were individually interviewed. Results: Three distinct groups emerged during our interviews: students on the debate team, students who strongly identified with a conservative religion, and students on popular athletic teams. Membership in specific peer groups influenced how students participated in or abstained from using homophobic language. Contrary to the prevailing research that pairs religiosity with negatively biased attitudes toward LGBTQIA, in this study, participants' religious beliefs appeared to be associated with respecting others' feelings and a decreased likelihood of using homophobic language. Conclusions: After summarizing this study's findings, we conclude with implications for practice. To more effectively deter the use of homophobic language, we encourage school-based interventions that target specific groups of adolescents and consider the social context in which homophobic language occurs.

Percepciones De Adolescentes Lgbt+ Sobre El Acoso en Contextos Sociales Más Igualitarios

“…Ante la sospecha y/o la certeza de episodios de bullying LGBTfóbico, es imprescindible que la comunidad educativa actúe. Hoy en día, es palpable una normalización de la LGBTfobia, en especial mediante el lenguaje LGBTfóbico, que se acentúa si nadie interviene (BAILEY et al, 2018;ESPELAGE et al, 2018). Si en el contexto donde se desarrollan las prácticas discriminatorias esto no se remedia, todas las personas presentes de manera reiterada y cotidiana asumirán como normal las prácticas sociales ejercidas.…”

“…Se ha observado que las sanciones de los tres microsistemas escolares estudiados se expresan de manera más sutil, y suelen ocurrir principalmente a través del lenguaje; es decir, burlas, insultos, vocabulario hiriente, bromas, etc. El uso del lenguaje LGBTfóbico para atacar, oprimir, menospreciar y humillar a estudiantes LGBT+ es bastante habitual en los centros escolares (BAILEY et al, 2018;ESPELAGE et al, 2018) y puede ocasionar graves consecuencias como abandono escolar o sintomatologías depresiva y ansiosa (MOYANO; SÁNCHEZ-FUENTES, 2020;NEWMAN et al, 2017).…”

Persepsi Milenial Terhadap Kelestarian Lingkungan Dalam Proposisi Bahasa Indonesia Berbasis Pengelolaan Sampah

“…Kajian Wible dan Hui tidak berkaitan langsung dengan substansi teori dan metode kajian ini, namun memberikan gambaran tentang tingkatan persepsi sebagaimana yang akan ditemukan melalui kajian ini. Bailey, Heath, Jackson, Coyne, & Williams (2018) menemukan hubungan positif antara persepsi remaja di sekolah pedesaan di Amerika terhadap jenis bahasa homophobic dengan sikap terhadap lawan jenis yang seusia mereka. Bahasa homophobic adalah bahasa-bahasa yang cenderung melecehkan wanita karena terkait dengan organ-organ sensitif wanita, yang memunculkan tindakan bullying terhadap remaja wanita, dan tampak sangat diskriminatif.…”

Highschool students’ professional values profiles

“…Values are a very important aspect of social existence because they are criteria according to which each of us behaves. The study of values has sparked and continues to spark interest for researchers both in the field of philosophy (Sauer, 2019;Weber, 2017), psychology (Bailey et al, 2018;Cohen et al, 2016;Matziari et al, 2017;Swami et al, 2019), sociology (Bachika, 2011, Barni et al, 2016Comşa, Rughiniş and Tufiş, 2008;Fjellvang, 2011;Țîru, 2014Țîru, 2019;Voicu and Voicu, 2007) or anthropology (Naess et al, 2009;Sliwinski, 2016). Thus, the origins of values, their usefulness, the way of formation, the roles, as well as the social functions performed or the link between values and other elements of social or individual life are studied.…”