LSSU student wins research competition

A recent graduate of Lake Superior State University has been honored for her research in sociology; Yiliang Wen, a 2011 sociology graduate now working in China, was awarded the Outstanding Student Research Paper Award by the Michigan Sociological Association.

Wen currently is working as a therapist at the Shaanxi Provincial Hospital's Department of Psychotherapy. The research that was honored was titled "The Influence of Culture on Attitudes toward Homosexuality in China and America," and studied the effect of social obligations on attitudes toward homosexuality.

"Ms. Wen was unanimously voted for the award, and she was encouraged to submit her study for publication in the MSA journal," says her research advisor, sociology professor Kirk Mauldin.

The research was in contrast to traditional studies, which tend to focus on factors like religion, ethnicity, education and demographics. Wen was more interested in cross-cultural attitudes, and studied data from surveys collected from college students in northern Michigan and northwest China, comparing their attitudes about homosexuality, gender roles, family and social obligations.

She found that those who believed more strongly in traditional gender roles were more likely to have a negative attitude toward homosexuality in both cultures. There was no significant difference in levels of homophobia between the Chinese and American students. Lesbians were generally viewed more positively by both males and females than were gay men.

Finally, Wen found that in China, attitudes toward homosexuality were more affected by social obligations than were American attitudes. She states in the research that the findings may have relevance for cross-cultural diversity training and better understanding of the factors that influence opinions on homosexuality.

"The importance of our research often extends beyond the scope of individual theses," Mauldin says. "Ms. Wen developed a cross-cultural scale of social obligation that will be used by future researchers in a variety of topical areas, from international studies of crime variance to civic engagement."

Wen came to LSSU in a group of exchange students from China in 2008, and stayed on after her exchange year was over to earn her bachelor's degree.

It's the second year in a row that a LSSU sociology student received such an honor. In 2010, Kathleen Holstege was recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Student by the Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts and Humanities.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Kirk Mauldin, Lake Superior State University