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Responding to the Needs of Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Australian Nongovernment Schools1.20 MB
Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Responding to the Needs of Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Australian Nongovernment Schools
Australian Social Work, Vol.78(4), pp.485-499
2025
Abstract
School responses to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students are crucial due to these students’ disproportionate experiences of bullying, mental illness, and trauma. Schools’ responses to the distinctive needs of TGD students are shaped by the legislative landscape, with nongovernment schools having more flexibility in accepting or overriding antidiscrimination legislation. Despite the critical role of schools, limited research explores how school staff perceive responding to Australian TGD student needs, particularly in the nongovernment school sector. In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews with nine school staff explored nongovernment secondary school responses to TGD students in Queensland, Australia. Thematic analysis identified four themes: relationships as motivators for change, breaking barriers in rural vs. urban settings, complex needs, and meaningful change. Findings revealed that interpersonal contact between staff and TGD students influenced motivation for meaningful change towards a more trauma-informed framework. Geographical location influenced how schools addressed change, as did complexities of TGD students who experienced autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and trauma. Religious-based school environments were perceived as a key barrier to change. Findings suggest that social work-led policy and practice is integral for trauma-informed, affirming care for TGD students, but that barriers exist in nongovernment education.
Details
- Title
- Responding to the Needs of Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Australian Nongovernment Schools
- Authors
- Jessie McDonald - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of HealthZalia Powell (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyCindy Davis - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyTrevor G. Gates - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyKrystal McLaughlin - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Publication details
- Australian Social Work, Vol.78(4), pp.485-499
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1080/0312407X.2025.2536245
- ISSN
- 1447-0748; 0312-407X
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available from the author Zalia Powell upon reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991156025702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Social Work
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Source: InCites