Browsing by Author "Niinisalo, Tommi"

Teachers who identify as sexual minorities face multiple hardships and problems in the workplace based on their identity. This study aims to approach these issues by examining the perceptions that queer teachers have about their respective speech styles and the context- based language variation that occurs. Spoken language and voice can act as meaningful cues of a person’s sexual identity, thus having the power to inflict various consequences on a person’s life. This study aims specifically to find out what queer teachers find to be meaningful reasons behind the context-based language variation, and how these reasons are connected to both heteronormativity and to their work as teachers. This research was conducted through semi-structured thematic interviews of eight Finnish primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school teachers who identified as being part of a sexual minority. The collected data was analyzed by discourse analysis, more specifically using methods from critical discourse analysis (CDA). The use of critical discourse analysis enabled this study to try and uncover hidden power relationships and inequalities from the data. The results indicate that sexual minority teachers strategically alter different features of their language and show variation in their speech styles when faced with unjust situations and contexts that are based on heteronormative power structures. Four separate discourses were derived from the data: the discourses of safety, incompatibility, strength, and resistance. The discourse of safety brought out that queer teachers prepare for possible homophobia and have various means to protect their safety. The discourse of incompatibility revealed that queer teachers experience an inner conflict between working as a teacher and identifying as a sexual minority. The discourse of strength brought out that queer teachers can make good use of their minority identity, essentially it being an aid to their work as a teacher, and that they utilize their authority as teachers when tackling challenges brought on by heteronormativity. Finally, the discourse of resistance revealed the critical and questioning stances that teachers have adopted towards heteronormativity and its hegemonic power, as well as towards the obligations and assumptions that is expected of them as queer teachers.