Queering Education: A Systematic Review of LGBT+ Representation in Education Journals [Preregistration]

The present study aims to quantify and describe the current stage of LGBT+ research in published journal articles within the discipline of education through a scientometric study. The abbreviation LGBT+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, with the "+" representing other sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions that are not specifically covered by the four main letters. These could include identities such as queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, non-binary, and many more. Sociometry is a quantitative method used to explore publication focuses and gaps in the scientific literature, as well as their historical development trends (Krampen, Günter & Hasselhorn, Marcus, 2019).

Representation of LGBT+ issues in educational research

Interest in LGBT+ research within the field of education has grown considerably in recent decades (Walch et al., 2020). However, already a quick look through the most widely cited research journals in the field of education reveals there is a scarcity of LGBT+ issues in published articles. It may be that literature on LGBT+ issues is published more often in specific LGBT+ psychology journals, and thus, only having limited visibility in the broader educational (research) community. Yet, a 2021 Gallup survey in the United States revealed that nearly 21% of Americans born between 1997 and 2003 identify as LGBT+ (Jones, 2022). This high number of LGBT+ students is not accurately represented in the current visibility of LGBT+ issues discussed and published in educational journals, and neither are LGBT+ educators, other school professionals, curricula, or gay-straight alliances. Since LGBT+ issues concern everyone, directly or indirectly, it is important to integrate such issues into broader educational research to gain visibility and impact on the educational practice of practitioners and researchers alike (Heck et al., 2016; Snapp et al., 2015).

Trends and developments in educational LGBT+ research

Prior overview articles examine positive and negative aspects of how identifying outside of heterosexual and cisgender norms can, for example, affect young people's school life or how curricula can be LGBT+ inclusive (Abreu et al., 2021; Day et al., 2019; Myers et al., 2020). Another influential overview of sexuality education and LGBT+ issues in schools discussed found broad support that teaching LGBT+ issues and creating inclusive and safe spaces in schools has positive effects on heterosexual cisgender as well as LGBT+ students (Gegenfurtner & Gebhardt, 2017). Other research trends explore the attitudes that teachers have toward LGBT+ students, and their impact is discussed (Galano et al., 2024; Gegenfurtner, 2021). These streams of literature highlight that various aspects of the school experience have been researched and found to significantly impact the well-being of LGBT+ students, both during their time in school and later in life (Kosciw et al., 2012; Kosciw et al., 2014). Thus, mapping the existing research on LGBT+ issues in educational research would be beneficial to identify overarching trends and potential gaps in the literature to further support all students. Such an overview of published research is essential for providing policymakers and educators with guidance on creating safe spaces for LGBT+ issues, which can be crucial to students’ and educators’ well-being and success.

Furthermore, existing research in education often focuses on negatively connoted themes concerning students, peers, teachers, and other school professionals, but also curriculum, Gay-Straight Alliances, school policies, and school climate. Such negatively connoted research could be on exclusion, bullying, discrimination, and their harmful negative issues related to LGBTQ+ people and issues (Birkett et al., 2009; Heck et al., 2014; Russell et al., 2011). Yet, research highlighting the positive impact of equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ students in everyday school environments seems to be less common (cf. Gegenfurtner & Gebhardt, 2017). Therefore, the evidence base is fragmented, and a comprehensive overview of LGBT+ representation in educational research is still needed. A systematic literature review could help bring clarity and organization to this area of study. Such a review would also help identify research gaps that must be addressed to ensure that educational research includes the full breadth of LGBT+ issues. Thus, the present study aims to map the LGBT+ literature in widely cited educational journals and shed light on themes, such as a focus on negative issues and hardships or whether there might be developments and trends toward positive LGBT+ issues in published research.

Research gaps in the published literature on LGBT+ issues in education

With a potential focus on negative aspects of LGBT+ issues in the educational literature, there are significant gaps in the studies published in education journals. Therefore, the evidence base is fragmented, and a comprehensive overview of LGBT+ representation in educational research is needed. A systematic literature review could help bring clarity and organization to this area of study. Our review aims to identify research gaps that must be addressed to expand our current knowledge of educational research on LGBT+ issues most effectively.

Scientometric method

To gain a comprehensive overview of LGBT+ issues in published educational journal articles, we will employ a scientometric approach. Scientometrics involves measuring and analyzing scholarly literature, including assessing the impact of research papers and academic journals (Leydesdorff & Milojević, 2012). To gain a comprehensive overview of LGBT+ issues in published educational journal articles, we will employ a scientometric approach. A systematic review will be conducted to answer the research questions outlined below (see Primary Research Question(s)), focusing on articles from 30 of the most cited journals in education, as detailed in our search strategy (see Databases). This project will build upon and significantly expand existing literature reviews conducted by, for example, Abreu et al. (2021), Gegenfurtner (2017), Jones et al. (2018), Kluge et al. (2023), Leung et al. (2022), and others.
The present study will conceptually mimic Kluge et al. (2023), who conducted a systematic literature review with a scientometric approach, focusing on LGBT+ representation in the 31 most-cited educational psychology journals. However, the present study will specifically focus on the field of *education* and its most-cited journals instead of the field of educational psychology.

We will use search terms developed by Kluge et al. (2023) from the reviews by Abreu et al. (2021), Jones et al. (2018), Leung et al. (2022), and others (see Query String below) and document the search, screening, and extraction procedures in detail. Furthermore, we will preregister this study to adhere to open science standards and conduct a systematic review that is accessible to a broad audience, ensuring all materials and data are publicly available for replication.

DISCLAIMER: Large parts of this preregistration are directly taken from or adapted from Kluge et al. (2023), who did a very similar project in journals of educational psychology instead of journals of education.
During the preparation of this preregistration, the author used GPT-4 from OpenAI (2024) and Grammarly (https://www.grammarly.com) for proofreading purposes and to ensure linguistic precision, good style, and readability. After using these tools, the first author reviewed and edited the text as needed and takes full responsibility for the content and wording of this preregistration.