LGBTQ+ students’ weekly academic engagement and disaffection predicted by experiences in gender-sexuality alliance meetings

Abstract

BackgroundSchools are responsible for promoting LGBTQ+ students' academic success, yet many LGBTQ+ students contend with unsupportive learning environments. Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs)—clubs that affirm students’ sexual orientation and gender diversity—could promote academic engagement and protect against disaffection. AimsWe aimed to identify GSA meeting-to-meeting experiences that predicted students’ ensuing academic engagement and disaffection over an eight-week weekly survey study. SampleParticipants were 92 LGBTQ+ GSA members (50% students of color, 51% trans/nonbinary, Mage = 15.83). MethodsParticipants completed once-weekly surveys over an 8-week period on their experiences in their most recently attended GSA meeting and their current level of academic engagement and disaffection with learning. ResultsParticipants reported relatively lower disaffection on days after meetings where they had perceived greater advisor responsiveness, socialized with peers, and discussed academic issues. They reported relatively greater engagement on days after meetings where they took on more leadership. Participants who led more, on average, over the eight-week period reported less disaffection and greater engagement than others. ConclusionsGSAs may contribute partially to LGBTQ+ students’ educational experiences by guarding against academic disaffection and, to a lesser extent, promoting their academic engagement from week to week. More research needs to consider how GSAs and other school-based resources promote learning among LGBTQ+ students.