Effective Teaching of Sexualization and Objectification

Abstract

Accelerated developments in technology have occurred alongside an increasingly dynamic student population within higher education, serving as a catalyst for change in approaches to teaching and learning. In response to these rapid shifts, there has been increasing attention to integration of various instructional technologies into educational settings. Research has demonstrated that teachers use technology in various ways (Teo, 2009). Higher education also continues to examine different approaches to teaching and their effects on learning. Despite advances elsewhere, inquiry surrounding the intersection of teaching strategies and technology, specifically within family science, remains scarce. This study explores application of self-directed learning, media literacy, and recreational technology use in shaping intentional teaching assignments to foster learning surrounding sexualization and objectification within an upper-level family science course. Results demonstrate that students report lower body objectification scores and greater awareness of interpersonal sexual objectification after completing the course. This paper also suggests methods for using empirical evidence of best practices from the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to inform contemporary teaching of family science courses alongside rapid technological changes.