This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Can literature foster greater acceptance of LGBT people among elementary school students? This is the core question behind a study conducted by researchers Guillermo Soler, María Ribes and José Rovira-Collado from the Language and Literature Didactics area of the Department of Teaching Innovation and Training at the University of Alicante (UA).
Published in the journal Education Sciences, the research indicates that incorporating classroom readings related to affective-sexual and gender diversity can encourage more positive attitudes toward the inclusion of non-heteronormative identities. To carry out the study, the UA team conducted several interventions in Spanish language and literature classes with sixth-grade students across two schools in Elche. A total of 77 students took part, with 31 assigned to an experimental group and 46 to a control group.
Over the course of an academic year, the control group followed their standard reading curriculum, while the experimental group worked with picture books, traditional tales, poems, comics and excerpts from young adult novels depicting diverse real-life situations. The selection included titles such as Little David, which features the son of a same-sex male couple; Titiritesa, which explores a young girl's wish to marry another girl; and And Tango Makes Three, which tells the story of two male penguins adopting a chick. The UA researchers explained that, alongside promoting reading, the sessions included guided activities to analyze and discuss the presence and representation of non-normative characters.
Some texts featured instances of rejection or bullying, which were addressed through dialogue to encourage reflection on respect and inclusion. At the end of the school year, all participants completed the same questionnaire designed to measure the acceptance of lesbian, gay, trans and bisexual people, as well as self-concept and self-acceptance. Following the educational intervention and subsequent data analysis, results showed that the experimental group demonstrated greater acceptance of having a lesbian or gay friend, with no responses indicating rejection.
Conversely, 6.5% of students in the control group expressed reluctance toward this possibility. Acceptance of bisexual and trans individuals exceeded 70% in both groups, with no statistically significant differences. The contrast was more pronounced when students were asked about the possibility of feeling attracted to someone of the same sex.
Positive responses reached 45.2% in the experimental group, compared with 28.3% in the control group. Rejection was 30.4% in the control group and 9.7% in the experimental group. The authors emphasize that "these findings do not imply that students identify as homosexual or bisexual, as the question assessed their willingness to accept that possibility within themselves, rather than determining their sexual orientation." Regarding the self-acceptance of trans identity, 38.7% of the experimental group gave negative responses to the prospect of identifying with a different gender, with 35.5% offering neutral responses.
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