Erika Nestor

Evaluting the Effectiveness of a Heterosexism Workshop: Does a Heterosexism Workshop Affect the Attitudes and Behaviors of College Students? Erika Nestor

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Heterosexism Workshop Colleges and universities offer programming to students to educate them around issues of heterosexism in order to help make the college campus more open and accepting of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) population. Many of these programs are offered as workshops in the residence halls, but few of these workshops have been evaluated to determine whether they are effective. This quantitative research project was designed to evaluate whether a heterosexism workshop presented to students in a residence hall was effective in positively changing attitudes and behaviors toward the LGB population. What are incoming first year students attitudes toward LGB people? What behaviors do they report engaging in to support LGB people? In what ways are these attitudes affected by college life and in what direction and to what extent? Does a one hour workshop have a positive effect on students? attitudes and behaviors? Would a one hour workshop that includes an additional check in have any greater effect on undergraduates? attitudes and behaviors? This study shows proof that these workshops are effective.