SIUE's Ferguson Invents Demographic Instrument to Prevent Inaccuracies in Sexual Identity Information Gathered During Research
EDWARDSVILLE - When conducting surveys, researchers ask respondents for identifiable data such age, race, and sex. This information rarely caters to nonmonosexuals, sometimes out of unconscious preference for gender, or heterosexual and homosexual, binary. This is about to change, thanks to an instrument developed by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Aidan Ferguson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work. As principal instigator, Ferguson is collaborating with colleagues Jennifer Erwin, PhD and Lane Forsman, PhD, assistant professors in the Department of Social Work. The project, Enhancing Sexual Identity Classification using the Ferguson Sexual Identity Classification Instrument (FSICI): A Proof of Concept Study , will pilot test an instrument that aims to provide a tool which will better capture accurate sexual identity information in research and in other areas where demographic information is obtained. The instrument is named for Ferguson as