Responding to Student Disclosures of Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Social Work Educators

Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) has long been identified as a serious and persistent problem on university campuses (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987). In the US and Canada, 1 in 4 female students (DeKeseredy & Kelly, 1993) and 1 in 16 male students (Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2007: 2009) have been sexually assaulted while attending post-secondary school. Evidence suggests students who experience GBV disclose to post-secondary instructors (Hayes-Smith, Richards, & Branch, 2010), however empirical research is in its infancy. The most recently published studies, representing the most substantial work on student disclosures to faculty (Branch, Hayes-Smith, & Richards, 2011; Richards, Branch, & Hayes, 2013) indicate instructors frequently receive disclosures of GBV, and, serve as one of few trusted ‘entry points’ into receiving institutional support. However, evidence about the impacts of GBV disclosure on teaching and learning remains glaringly absent.

Methods: This study was designed around the following research question: How do student disclosures of GBV impact teaching and learning within the post-secondary environment? Using principles of community-based action research (Stringer, 2014), this study sought to both understand and alter problems generated by the perpetration of GBV on university campuses. Using purposive sampling, participants were brought together to identify and document the GBV disclosure process while simultaneously mobilizing their collective knowledge to influence social change within their University. To this end, an essential function of the research was to provide participants with immediate access to new information they could use to respond to disclosures of GBV and inform pedagogical decisions. Using targeted email and social media announcements, the sample (n=32) was comprised of 1) students who self-identified as GBV survivors and 2) post-secondary instructors. Data was collected at three points in time (T) using open-ended, self-report questionnaires (T1 & T3) and a structured activity focus group (T2). Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) drew out rich descriptions and interpretations of the GBV disclosure process and its impact on teaching and learning.

Results: Results indicated a wide variety of post-secondary instructor responses to student disclosures of GBV, with direct and indirect impacts on teaching and learning. Among faculty participants, almost half (14) received at least one student disclosure of GBV, with the majority of them receiving multiple disclosures in their career (28). Most importantly, findings revealed a wide spectrum of responses after receiving a disclosure: 1) some professors created more space for students to disclose; 2) some changed their teaching practices to minimize the likelihood of disclosure; 3) some expressed confusion about their role in responding to student disclosures; and 4) some reported being personally impacted by student disclosures.

Conclusions & implications: This project directly contributes to a growing area of research about how post-secondary instructors respond to student disclosures of GBV. Building from the findings, this presentation will critically consider and outline social work teaching practices and strategies that contribute to supportive responses, inside and outside the classroom. Namely, the need for in-depth examination of how GBV disclosure processes influence pedagogy, student-instructor dynamics, and strategic responses that support student learning.