The Effect of LGBT Resource Centers on Student Success & Engagement

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Date
2017-06-01
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
St. Cloud State University
Abstract

This quantitative study was developed to determine whether involvement in a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Resource Center had a measurable impact on the success, engagement, and retention of LGBTQ students at St. Cloud State University. Success included academic completion and grade point average (GPA); engagement included the number of times and type of participation in the LGBT Resource Center; and retention was measured by the student’s self-reported intention of returning to the university. The results of this study indicate that there were positive relationships between ‘outness’ and student involvement. A surprising result of this study was that students who admitted to hiding their gender identity and/or sexual orientation were more likely to have a higher GPA.

Description
Keywords
LGBTQ students, College dropouts--Prevention, discrimination in higher education, Academic achievement
Citation