Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 1

Review on Recent Research on Queer Filipino College Men & Masculinity

Jazmin Ramirez

Salem State University

Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 2

For this review paper, I have selected Jason Chans article named, Am I

Masculine Enough? Queer Filipino College Men and Masculinity (2017). In this

review paper I will write on the purpose of the article, its primary goals, what the

research question is addressing, the theoretical framework, the methodology used to

conduct this research, the researchers findings and the recommended suggestions for

student affairs professionals. After reading the article and accumulating the information, I

will then evaluate how the research was conducted and if it was successful.

The main focus of this article and research study is to take a closer look into the

experiences of queer Filipino college men and their definition of masculinity. Jason Chan

conducted this study to examine how queer Filipino college men define, understand and

experience masculinity and how external contexts, such as family, culture and life on a

college campus, play a part in that understanding. The purpose is being able to

understand this specific student population and their development to better assist their

academic success during their undergraduate experience. A highlight in this study is the

importance of considering external contexts that influences a college mens experience

with masculinity.

There has been research conducted in the past that emphasizes on the experiences

of college men and ways of facilitating success for this population. However, there is a

lack of research on the experiences of Asian American college men. As a result of the

lack of research on Asian American college men, Jason Chan conducts this research in

hopes of filling the gap to create recommendations for student affairs professionals to

better help with the success of queer Filipino college men. The two research questions

that Jason Chan creates to guide his study are the following: how do queer Filipino
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 3

college men define masculinity and from what sources does this understanding develop?

And how does the context of the college environment influence their experiences with

masculinity (Chan, 2017, p. 2). In other words, the questions are geared towards the

desired findings of masculinity for queer Filipino college men and the influence of

college life.

The theory used to conduct this study is Reconceptualized Model of Multiple

Dimensions of Identity (R-MMDI). This theory consists of three components that

highlight the responsibility between environmental context and the students meaning

when thinking of their identity development (Chan, 2017). The three components of R-

MMDI are as follows: 1) multiple identity dimensions when looking at ones self, 2) a

cognitive meaning which helps students have an understanding of their lived experiences,

and 3) is the relationship between people and social context within an individuals

environment, which plays a role in the development of their identity (Chan, 2017). Chan

uses R-MMDI as lens to understand the evolved personal meaning of masculinity for

queer Filipino college men in the specific university selected for this study.

The methodology used for this study was a basic qualitative and constructivist

approach. This approach consisted of the combination of the participants experiences

and their understandings of the experiences expressed (Chan, 2017). Chan selected a

large, public university located in the West Coast with a large population of self-

identified Asian American students. Recruitment for this study was done through emails.

Chan reached out to Filipino, Asian American and Asian American LGBTQ student

organizations on campus. However, Chan only received responses from the Filipino

student organization (Chan, 2017, p. 4). All in all, there was a five-student response rate.
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 4

First participant is Alton, a sophomore who self identifies as queer. The second

participant is Casper, a senior who self identifies as homosexual. The third participant is

Ken, a sophomore who self identifies as queer and homosexual. The fourth participant is

Max, a senior who self identifies as fluid and bisexual. The last participant is Skylar, a

senior who self identifies as Gay. Alton, Casper, Max and Skylar all identify as Catholic,

while Ken identifies as a Born-again Christian. Chan collected data through an interview

approach, which were all recorded and then transcribed. After the data collected was

transcribed, Chan coded them. The coding consisted of three different stages. The first

stage was creating categories for the different definitions of masculinity. The second

stage was connecting the data to the categories in hopes of creating major themes. The

last stage consisted of inviting the participants to look over the written transcripts and

make any final edits to make the information given as accurate and clear as possible

(Chan, 2017).

In this qualitative research there were three major findings, which were

categorized into three themes. The first finding was the variety of answers in the

definition of masculinity. The second finding was the influence of family, religion, and

culture (Chan, 2017, p.6). The final finding was interpreting the college context as a

developmental catalyst. When taking a closer look at the first finding of the variety of

answers in the definition of masculinity the results explicitly show the connection

between masculinity and sexual orientation. Many of the participants expressed the

process of always being self-aware of their own actions and behaviors that may or may

not be viewed as societal views of masculinity and how that may or not may affect their

behaviors (Chan, 2017). Particularly with participant Ken, he made an interesting

Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 5

observation on his own actions in the sense of reflecting on whether or not his actions

were a result of who he really is as an individual or the constant desire of wanting to be

masculine.

When taking a closer look at the second finding of this qualitative study, the

interactional influences of family, religion and culture, many of the participants expressed

their family and cultural views on masculinity and the connection it has to sexual

orientation. For example, in the Filipino culture gender fluidity is more common than

expected and there is a constant representation of gender played on media (Chan, 2017).

Many of the participants also expressed how their parents seem to be very accepting of

homosexuality and feminine gender expression on males when it is an identity of an

individual that is not their own. In other words, Filipino parents will accept it from others,

but would barely accept it if it was their son. It is an experience expressed by Alton.

Parents would also have a say or opinion in the way their son should walk or carry

themself in a social setting or even at home. If Filipino males act in a more feminine way

they are often judged and perceived in a different way. Many of the opinions of Filipino

fathers influenced their sons views on what their perception of masculinity is.

When taking a closer look at the last finding of this study, the college context as

developmental catalyst, the participants expressed how their college experience

influenced their perception of masculinity. Participants saw forms of masculinity in

residence halls, Greek life and within student organizations on campus. Within the

residence halls there were constant conversations on hooking up which highly connects to

masculinity. Within the fraternity experience there were two different experiences

between Ken and Max. Ken who is part of White fraternity, felt like he could not express
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 6

his gender expression freely, while Max who is part of a multicultural fraternity,

contributed to his definition of masculinity (Chan, 2017). When looking at academics,

usually the harder the major is the more masculine the male is. Usually males have

business or science majors to emphasize masculinity. If males have majors in

academically less rigorous areas they are not perceived to be masculine. All in all, family,

culture, religion, and life experiences influence the participants personal definition of

masculinity.

Chan provided a handful of recommendations for student affairs professional to

better support queer male Filipino students on college campuses. Some of the

recommendations consist of campus programs purposely creating environments where

students can reflect on their lived experiences to make meaning of masculinity within

their culture, religion, family and campus (Chan, 2017). Another recommendation is

having conversations on coming out to family members and individuals who have a

strong connection to religion and cultural norms. As for academic advisors and faculty

members, they should consider helping queer male Filipino college students in being able

to navigate through their masculine identity and their academic/career path. As for the

counseling department, considering the option of creating peer student support groups for

this specific population where they can have conversations and meet other students who

are experiencing similar things.

In my opinion, Chan did a very good job in creating a high quality inquiry of his

study from the research questions he used to guide his study, to the way he selected his

participants, to the interpretations of his findings and the recommendations suggested for

student affairs professionals to better improve their practice with queer Filipino college
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 7

men. When thinking of the readings we have read in class an important concept is the

ability to distinguish between methodology and method. Methodology is the approach,

plan of action, and design used to guide the researchers work (Jones, Torres & Arminio,

2013). For this study, Chan selected the right method of taking a qualitative approach.

The research was to collect data on the definition of masculinity for queer Filipino

college students and how external factors influenced those personal definitions. To be

able to accomplish a high quality inquiry, the researcher must create a clear research

question to be able to obtain the information he was looking for (Jones et. al, 2013). The

researcher created two specific questions: one that directly asks the definition of

masculinity for this population and the second is on how external factors, such as family,

religion, culture and college experiences, influenced those definitions.

The article provides four different sample questions from the interview protocol

that took place. The questions ranged from, How do you define masculinity? Do you see

yourself reflected in this definition? to How do you see your racial, ethnic, gender,

and/or sexual orientation identities influence your experiences with masculinity, if at all?

(Chan, 2017, p.5). The questions asked in the interview did help answer the research

questions because they were close in wording, ultimately giving the opportunity to use

the data collected in the interview to answer the research questions for his study.

The results were meaningful and logical because they possessed qualitative

validity. Qualitative validity is based on determining whether the findings are accurate

from the standpoint of the researcher, participant and readers (Creswell, 2014, p. 201).

One approach that Chan took to demonstrate validity for his study was conducting

member checks, which consists of giving participants the opportunity to look at the
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 8

transcripts, the findings, and the over arching themes that was collected (Creswell, 2014).

Chan also clarified his biases on the topic because he himself identifies as a gay Asian

American man, which provided him with insider perspectives on the stories participants

shared during the interviews (Chan, 2017, p.5). Overall, the findings were meaningful

and logical because it really targeted the questions that Chan was trying to answer for his

study.

To be able to obtain a high quality inquiry in a research study it is important for

the researcher to be able to collect their data and then analysis the data including their

own interpretation of the data. The interpretation of the data helps the ability to

understand the answers of the participants, the meaning behind it and what the

information implies (Jones et. al, 2013). After analyzing the data and interpreting it the

researcher must be able to provide recommendations for student affairs professionals to

use in their daily practice. Chan did a good job in creating the recommendations because

he targeted more one than one area of higher education. In fact, he was able to provide

recommendations for counselors, advisors, professors, LGBTQ center, and student

organizations.

Overall the article itself was well written. Chan used headers to divide the

information in an organized matter, making it extremely easy to read and understand. The

article had an introduction, a literature review, which consisted of sub headers, a section

on the theoretical framework, methodology, findings with sub headers, a discussion,

implications for practice, and a conclusion. Extremely organized in my opinion. The

article had two tables, one consisted of the participants demographics, which helps the

reader know the different identities of the participants, and the second table was on the
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 9

sample questions from the interviews, which helps the reader understand the different

questions that were asked. Both tables were well organized and easy to understand.

References
Running Head: REVIEW ON RECENT RESEARCH 10

Chan, J. (2017). Am I Masculine Enough?: Queer Filipino College Men and

Masculinity. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 54(1), 82-94.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods

approaches. Sage publications.

Jones, S. R., Torres, V., & Arminio, J. (2013). Negotiating the complexities of qualitative
research in higher education: Fundamental elements and issues. Routledge.