This document provides a critical analysis of Erik Tancorov's research paper on the challenges faced by gender non-conforming students and their coping mechanisms. The analysis assess Tancorov's paper in terms of paradigm, genre, conceptual framework, research question, literature review, and methodology. It finds that Tancorov takes a social constructivist paradigm and uses a case study genre. While his research question and literature review are relevant, his methodology could be strengthened by incorporating additional data sources. The analysis concludes that explicitly stating the social constructivist paradigm and emphasizing queer identity development through a critical theory lens could enhance the effectiveness of Tancorov's study.

1. Critical Analysis of an Empirical Research Project
Practitioner Inquiry
Erin Murphy
11/17/2010

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A good research paper reflects the researcher’s paradigm, or worldview. The context of
the study is framed according to interpretive communities, and the central research question
helps clarify and focus the process and methodology of the project. For this paper, I have elected
to write a critical analysis of Erik Tancorov’s Capstone Paper entitled, “Challenges and Coping
Mechanisms of Hampshire College Students Whose Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity do
not Conform to the Dominant Norm.” The topic of Tancorov’s paper is youth who are gender
non-conformists. I will assess this work in terms of paradigm, genre, conceptual framework,
quality of research question, relevance of literature review, and methodology.
Although he does not state this explicitly, it is abundantly clear that Tancorov approaches his
research from a social constructivist paradigm. Creswell (2007) describes social constructivists
as those who seek to understand the world in terms of subjective experiences. They gather data
from multiple individual perspectives, interpret it based on their own experience, and use it to
produce meta-narratives about the meaning of phenomena. Throughout his paper, Tancorov
(2007) refers to his interviewees as “experts on their own lives” (p. 34), which indicates that he
believes their views are the most important—and valid-- source of information available. He also
makes a conscientious effort to allow his interviewees to define their identities with their own
words. Finally, he discloses his own transgendered identity and concedes that it produces both
positive and negative consequences for his ability to analyze the data.
Tancorov offers several different purpose statements for his research, but his introduction
indicates that his main goal is to “deconstruct [the] dominant theories related to identity”
(Creswell, 2007, p. 29). He presents his interviewee’s perspectives as alternatives to the
mainstream assumption that gender dualism and definitions of ‘sexual normalcy’ apply to all
members of society. His strategy suggests that the answers to questions about healthy gender

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identity development must be located inside individual subjective realities rather than imposed
from the outside by a powerful heterosexual majority.
Tancorov selects the “case study” genre, or “study of an issue explored through one or more
cases within a bounded system, setting, or context” to frame his research (Creswell, 2007, p.74).
This approach is appropriate because it allows him to gather first-hand information from
participants who fall outside traditional gender roles, and thereby have a different vocabulary and
perspectives on issues regarding gender identity. The case study format uncovers a truth about
the interviewees which exists beyond the boundaries of society and language, or, in Tancorov’s
words, “[their] fundamental sense of themselves as sexual and gender beings” (p.62). He
develops a detailed analysis of each case in order to understand the challenges for ‘gender non-
conformists’ with an interdisciplinary approach. One component of case study analysis that
Tancorov does not incorporate is “triangulation,” or the application of at least three different
sources of data to “shed light on a theme” (Creswell, 2007, p. 208). He might have strengthened
the validity of his research by including two sources for analysis in addition to the interviews,
such as written documents or relevant artifacts.
Tancorov’s conceptual framework in his paper begins with his “experience in practice”
(Rossman and Rallis, 2003, p.121). His perception of the pressure he has received to conform to
dominant hetero-patriarchal norms motivates him to search for a way for the new generation of
transgendered youth to avoid similar challenges. One question that researchers in this field have
asked is, “How does the mainstream understanding of gender dualism impact social attitudes
towards transpeople?” (Tancorov, 2007, p. 6). The existing literature provides an answer:
Gender dualism makes the heterosexual majority more likely to characterize transpeople as
pathological exceptions to prescribed gender roles (Tancorov, 2007). Tancorov aims to add to

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the existing knowledge about the challenges gender non-conformists face by asking which
specific coping mechanisms are most effective. He intends to make two main contributions: to
add to the existing literature that promotes changes in the dominant narrative about sexuality and
gender, and to use narratives to explain positive coping mechanisms of youth. He sees his work
as an important potential resource for schools and LGBTQ centers in the United States.
A good research question is evocative and it adds to the existing body of research.
Tancorov’s question, “What are the challenges and coping mechanisms of Hampshire College
students, whose sexual orientation and gender identity do not conform to the dominant norm?”
frames transgendered youth as empowered advocates for their communities. His inclusion of the
word “what” in this question opens a pathway for further exploration of what it means to be
“gender-queer.” The specific bounds of the case study, which include location, age, and gender
orientation, add to the study’s feasibility. Tancorov’s focus on creating awareness of the
challenges these particular students face, in addition to the coping mechanisms they find most
useful, fills a gap in the existing literature.
Tancorov highlights three systems of hetero-patriarchal oppression in his literature
review: science, homes, and schools, and he discusses these as they relate to challenges in
identity formation among gay and transgendered youth. For example, he describes how the
psychiatry field has only recently begun examining its assumption that gender non-conformists
ought to be classified as mentally ill. He also refers to many previous studies which indicate that
most families and school systems in the U.S. do not provide adequate support for transgendered
youth. One aspect of the literature that could be developed further is the context of Hampshire
College and how this particular environment impacts transgendered students’ ability to cope.
However, Tancorov’s selection of sources for his literature review is quite relevant overall; they

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provide context for his focus of inquiry and allow him to emphasize the need for solidarity
between transgendered youth and society.
Creswell (2007) states that appropriate data collection methodology must align with the
researcher’s chosen genre. Tancorov performed his qualitative research project with four in-
depth case studies. Each interview was conducted during the participants’ free time in the
location of their choice. Interviews consisted of eight questions, and responses were recorded
electronically. There were benefits and drawbacks to his approach. The privacy of the case study
interviews, in conjunction with his personal relationship with the interviewees, allowed him to
gain the trust necessary to conduct effective interviews. At the same time, Tancorov’s selection
of acquaintances as his subjects eliminated the possibility of collecting data from a more
representative sample. As stated previously, the case study genre requires researchers to collect
data from multiple sources. It would have been helpful to include data beyond the four
interviews, such as Hampshire College’s policy on discrimination, local hate crime statistics, or
participant-observation of campus counseling services.
The main strengths of Tancorov’s project are the depth of information he was able to
gather from the interviewees and the relevance of his literature review to his research question.
However, he fails to explain clearly how the results of his study will help to change hetero-
patriarchal norms. Furthermore, his literature review discussion revolves mostly around shifts in
opinion among researchers rather than controversies in the existing body of literature. Two major
changes I would make to enhance this study’s effectiveness would be to clearly state the social
constructivist paradigm approach, and to explicitly outline the research in terms of critical theory
with a special emphasis on queer identity development.

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Bibliography
Creswell, John W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five
Approaches (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
Rossman, Gretchen.; and Rallis, Sharon. (2003). Learning in the Field: An Introduction to
Qualitative Research (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Pages 120-134
Tancorov, Erik (2007). “Challenges and Coping Mechanisms of Hampshire College Students
Whose Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity do not Conform to the Dominant Norm”
(Capstone Paper, SIT Graduate Institute, 2007).