Sex Education In Schools Research Articles

Adolescents’ sexual health: Elucidating the paradoxical influence of Christianity in School Sexuality Education Programmes in King Cetshwayo District, South Africa

Despite the implementation of a school-based sexuality education programme meant to promote learners' sexual and reproductive health (SRH), the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and teenage pregnancy is increasing rapidly in South Africa. This phenomenon can be observed in rural schools such as those in King Cetshwayo district in the Kwazulu Natal Province. We argue that it is critical to investigate the contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of sexuality education in these schools, which ultimately impacts the learners' sexual health outcomes. The paper applies an information-motivation-behavioural skills model as its theoretical paradigm for this qualitative, phenomenological study. In 2020, nine focus group interviews were conducted to gather in-depth experiences and perspectives from a purposively sampled group of learners in the study setting. The analysis of the collected data was guided by the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. The results indicated that the religious antecedents of learners and teachers and the activities of faith-based organisations in the study setting influence the acceptance or rejection of sexuality education messages. Based on the study findings, we argue that Christianity as a colonial religion has functioned as both a barrier and an enabler of effective school-based sexuality education. Therefore, we recommend that the paradoxical effects of religion on school-based sexuality education be addressed by optimising the enhancing effects and mitigating the inhibiting effects on sexuality education programmes in the research setting. We also propose that leaders of faith-based organisations be considered critical stakeholders in the implementation of a school-based sexuality education programme, hence the need for continuous engagement.

Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward sexually transmitted infections among Baghdad undergraduate students for research-guided sexual health education.

Sexually transmitted infections are common and tend to cause a lot of public misconceptions. This study was conducted to identify knowledge gaps and negative attitudes toward sexually transmitted infections and infected individuals among undergraduate students and give recommendations accordingly for the development of more objective research-guided health campaigns and school sex education programs. A cross-sectional study was conducted between May 17, 2022 and June 2, 2022 using a self-administrated questionnaire containing 84 items related to sexually transmitted infections distributed online to Baghdad-based university students. The sample consisted of 823 respondents; 332 men and 491 women. Overall knowledge was moderate to high, with 628 individuals (76.3%) answering more than half the questions correctly. There was no difference according to gender or previous sexual experience, but knowledge increased by an average of 2.73 points (p < 0.001) when a participant knew a previously infected individual. Less than half identified systemic symptoms of STIs, and their knowledge of other HIV items was also poor. Most respondents (85.5%) agreed to the need for sex education during middle or high school and cited traditional barriers as the most critical barrier (64.8%); in comparison, those who did not agree on its need cited the sensitivity of the subject (40.3%) or religious barriers (20.2%) as more important. Specific knowledge gaps exist for HIV and non-HIV sexually transmitted infections; these should be addressed during sex education, focusing on specific high-risk groups. Negative attitudes and stigmatizing behavior should be addressed as well by increasing focused STI knowledge.

Adolescent pregnancy: An important issue for paediatricians and primary care providers-A position paper from the European academy of paediatrics.

Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing, remain a widespread health-related problem with potential short and long-term consequences. Comprehensive social, economic, environmental, structural, and cultural factors heavily impact on adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and early pregnancy. Health professionals can play a pivotal role in the prevention of unplanned pregnancy. Improved access to family planning, sexuality education in schools, community-based interventions, and policies contribute greatly to reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy and the adoption of respectful and responsible sexual behaviour. Additionally, health care professionals can support pregnant adolescents in making decisions under these circumstances and provide adequate health care. This review highlights actions that can guide healthcare professionals in empowering young adolescents to become more aware and capable of making informed decisions about their sexual life, health, and future.

How to Realize the Ideal Life of LGBT: Based on Field Observation of Mainland China

In this paper, the ideal life patterns of Chinese lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) are investigated. The ideal life includes the views of educational, policy environments, and LGBT-related organizations. The method employed is a semi-structured interview with questions about coming out experience, victimization, support networks, and demands. By the principle of identifying problems and seeking solutions, the inconveniences of LGBT life lead them to find their ideal objective environment by reviewing experience. Key results indicate that plebification outweighs explicit stipulations of anti-discrimination for LGBT people in Mainland China, which addresses the entrenched stigma from a demand perspective. These findings highlight the needs and expectations of living conditions in daily life occasion for LGBT people. Findings also have implications for LGBT-specific laws and regulations regarding suggestions for sex education and plebification in workplaces or schools in Mainland China.

“Maybe We Should Destigmatize It”: Young Adults’ Perceptions about Instruction on Sexual Consent and Sexual Coercion During Adolescence

Objectives: For decades, scholars and sexual health professionals have urged policymakers to improve the efficacy of sex education. Although some progress has been made through the development of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), curricula in the United States remain limited. For instance, healthy sexual encounters require mutual sexual consent, void of sexually coercive behaviours, yet CSE initiatives only recently added instruction on consent and coercion as important parts of sex education curricula. Further, little is known about what youth learn about consent and coercion through family, friends, and media. The purpose of this study, then, was to gain insight into the information young adults received during adolescence about sexual consent and coercion through formal and informal sources, and to seek their perceptions about possible curriculum improvement.&#x0D; Methods: This study utilized five focus groups to assess 32 college students’ perceptions about their adolescent experiences with instruction on consent and coercion in formal and informal sex education. The mean participant age was 22, and most were women, heterosexual, and Latinx.&#x0D; Results: The results indicated that these young adults did not learn about sexual consent and coercion while in high school, but believed that these topics should have been addressed. They also believed that formal sex education should move away from abstinence-only or abstinence-forward education, and should not be rooted in fear-mongering. Gender impacted whether and what youth learned about sexual consent from parents and peers. While mothers talked to sons about using contraceptives and also about obtaining consent, they talked to daughters about negative sex outcomes, such as a ruined reputation or early pregnancy. Fathers were less likely to talk to their children about sex, especially daughters. Young men talked to peers about whether they had sex, while young women talked to their friends about the physical experience of having sex.&#x0D; Implications: Implications support the implementation of sex education in high schools that facilitates not only physically safe, but also emotionally healthy relationships, as well as an urgency for a cultural shift towards the acknowledgment of intimate behaviours as normative processes among adolescents.

Father’s Involvement in the Mitigation of Child Sexual Abuse, in Mvita sub-county, Mombasa County

Child sexual abuse is a serious public health issue that violates their rights. This study sought to investigate the father’s involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County. It was guided by the following specific objectives; to examine how fathers' income status influences the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to determine how fathers’ upbringing influences their involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to assess the extent to which father’s involvement in child upbringing mitigates child sexual abuse and to determine effective preventive strategies for supporting fathers’ involvement in mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub -County, Mombasa County. The study was anchored by two theories: Attachment theory by John Bowlby (1958) and Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979). A mixed-method research approach with a focus on convergent parallel mixed-method design was adopted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. The target population was 154,166 people while the sample size was 400 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and presented in narrations. The study findings indicated that the majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the father’s income status and involvement are directly linked to their ability to mitigate child sexual abuse. The study found that equal childcare and division of housework, the introduction of community protection programs, and sex education in schools could be effective preventive strategies for fathers in the mitigation of child sexual abuse. Based on the study findings, the researchers concluded that fathers’ involvement in child upbringing could help mitigate child sexual abuse in Mvita-Sub-County, Mombasa, Kenya. Keywords: Father’s involvement, Mitigation, Child sexual abuse, Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa &nbsp

Father’s Involvement in the Mitigation of Child Sexual Abuse, in Mvita sub-county, Mombasa County

Child sexual abuse is a serious public health issue that violates their rights. This study sought to investigate the father’s involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County. It was guided by the following specific objectives; to examine how fathers' income status influences the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to determine how fathers’ upbringing influences their involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to assess the extent to which father’s involvement in child upbringing mitigates child sexual abuse and to determine effective preventive strategies for supporting fathers’ involvement in mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub -County, Mombasa County. The study was anchored by two theories: Attachment theory by John Bowlby (1958) and Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979). A mixed-method research approach with a focus on convergent parallel mixed-method design was adopted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. The target population was 154,166 people while the sample size was 400 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and presented in narrations. The study findings indicated that the majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the father’s income status and involvement are directly linked to their ability to mitigate child sexual abuse. The study found that equal childcare and division of housework, the introduction of community protection programs, and sex education in schools could be effective preventive strategies for fathers in the mitigation of child sexual abuse. Based on the study findings, the researchers concluded that fathers’ involvement in child upbringing could help mitigate child sexual abuse in Mvita-Sub-County, Mombasa, Kenya. Keywords: Father’s involvement, Mitigation, Child sexual abuse, Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa &nbsp

Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes around the possible implementation of sex education in schools: views from teachers in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region

ABSTRACT Living in a conservative and traditional society, Kazakhstani people are generally reluctant to openly discuss sex education with their children. However, issues such as family violence, teenage pregnancy and high rates of STIs demonstrate the need to implement good-quality school-based sex education. Access to sex education is the inherent right of any child, and the absence of it is critical, sometimes resulting in dire consequences. Despite the worldwide development and implementation of sexual health education in many countries, it is still not provided in the Kazakhstani educational system due to the subject’s cultural sensitivity. This study investigated Kazakhstani primary and secondary school teachers’ attitudes and perceptions towards implementing school-based sexual health education. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers from both primary and secondary schools in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region. The findings reveal positive attitudes towards the implementing of sex education regardless of whether they taught in a primary or secondary school, the participant’s age, gender, years of teaching experience and urban or rural school location. However, while supportive, most teachers indicated they would not be comfortable or confident teaching sex education.

Parents resist sexuality education through digital activism

South Africa has high rates of HIV infection among its young population, high rates of unintended pregnancy among the youth, and extremely high rates of gender-based violence. Given all this, it is essential that young people be taught skills that will enable them to manage their sexuality. Schools have been shown to be best placed to provide accurate and relevant information on young people's sexualities. Through the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) offers age-appropriate sexuality education as a response to these concerns. However, research in sexuality education shows that there is a lack of guidance and preparedness by educators, and this hampers how sexuality education is delivered in South African schools. A recent attempt by the DBE to upscale and strengthen the sexuality education curriculum in South African schools was met with resistance from parents and other lobby groups. This resistance was driven across many different media platforms, and particularly through an online hashtag #LeaveOurKidsAlone, largely on Facebook and Twitter. Through this resistance, we are introduced to parents/adult response to the teaching and learning of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in South African schools, a voice that has been missing to a great extent in this debate. Working within a broad feminist qualitative framework, I use critical discourse analysis to map out some of the key discourses emerging from the #LeaveOurKidsAlone resistance in an attempt to understand how parents/adults use social media to resist CSE in South Africa. I foreground critically adult voices and the implications of these for the teaching and learning of CSE in South African schools.

Parents and issues of sexuality education in the Nigerian secondary schools

Parents and issues of sexuality education in the Nigerian secondary schools

Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Parental Attitude and Health Beliefs Toward Sexuality Education

The quality of sexuality education is significant in encouraging and expanding the knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Parents’ attitudes and beliefs toward sexuality education contribute to the effectiveness of sexuality education in schools. Consequently, there is a need to provide a validated instrument to investigate parental attitude and beliefs toward school-based sexuality education. The objective of this study is to describe the development and test the psychometric properties of an instrument that measures the attitudes and beliefs of parents toward the implementation of sexuality education in primary schools within Malaysia. Items for the instrument in this study were developed through literature review via the deduction method. Data collection was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved 174 parents with children who were attending primary schools through convenience sampling. Then, the multistage sampling method was employed to collect data from 350 parents. Results from the exploratory factor analysis have identified four latent dimensions, which are attitude toward sexuality education, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy, that support the SRH learning among primary school children. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates a good overall fit with the application of post hoc modifications. The results also indicate that the instrument has high internal consistency, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Findings from this study have indicated that the instrument can be used as a valid and reliable measure to examine the attitudes and beliefs of parents toward sexuality education in primary schools within Malaysia.

Cyclical Longitudinal Ethnography as an Innovative Design for Addressing Sexuality Education in South African Rural Farm Schools

Addressing Sexuality Education among learners in rural schools can be challenging when using traditional designs such as ethnography and phenomenology. This paper introduces Cyclical Longitudinal Ethnography as an innovative design for addressing Sexuality Education in South African rural farm schools. This design was developed as part of an engaged scholarship on HIV prevention in rural farm schools in Soutpansberg North Circuit, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The paper provides an overview of Sexuality Education at schools and the challenges thereof. It further provides the basics of ethnography and its limitation. The paper then introduces and describes cyclical ethnography as an alternative to original ethnography. The design allows researchers to still have a prolonged engagement with the community without gross disruption of other academic responsibilities such as tuition, academic citizenship, leadership, and administration. The design allows the researcher to visit the area several times over the years, enabling the researcher to observe variations of a phenomenon over time. The Cyclical nature of the design allows data collection, analysis, intervention, monitoring, and evaluation to be conducted iteratively. Though there are primary key informants, the findings could lead to other key informants, settings, and interventions which were not part of the initial plan and objectives. In this study, the target population was educators teaching Sexuality Education, but it ended up involving learners, parents, and community members. The Longitudinal nature of the design enables the researchers to see the impact of the interventions.

Strategies to reduce the gap between the current and desired status of sexual education of high school students from the perspective of teachers

Background and Aim: Sexual education is one of the important aspects of education that is necessary to pay attention to in the adolescent period, despite significant studies in this field, so far no comprehensive and efficient solutions have been provided to improve the situation of adolescent sexual education. The main goal of this research was to identify the appropriate solutions to reduce the gap between the current and desired sex education in the first year of secondary school, from the teachers' point of view. Methods: The research method is practical in terms of its purpose, descriptive-survey in terms of its nature and method, and the tool for collecting information is a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the content of the questionnaire has been checked and confirmed by calculating the Laushe coefficient and the reliability of the questionnaire by testing it and calculating the bisection method. The statistical population of the research was all the teachers and executive staff of the first secondary schools of Hamedan province in 1400, of which 380 people were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling. T and FREDMAN statistical tests were used in the data analysis in the SPSS22 software environment. Results: 15 strategies were identified to improve the status of sex education in schools. Placing content related to sexual education in textbooks makes all schools obliged to present those topics to students and already with educational design, consider various educational elements and comprehensive and efficient education in this have context The participation of parents and teachers in the sexual education of students and the preparation of parents in terms of motivational factors, knowledge and ability in the sexual education of adolescents makes the education more effective in this field. The inclusion of an extra-curricular lesson with the title of "deserving boys and girls" in schools will provide opportunities for education related to sexual education to students jointly at the level of all schools. The attractive title of the lesson makes students more interested in these topics. Conclusion: Considering that the modesty of a number of students prevents them from asking confidential questions in the field of sexual issues, the use of indirect education tools such as question boxes and non-present communication channels can be effective in the sexual education of students.

An enquiry to ascertain attitude of B.Ed. trainees towards sex education in view of inclusion and promotion of reproductive health education in school curriculum for a sustainable future

The present study aims to find out the attitude of trainee teachers towards sex education. The attitude of trainee teachers matters a lot because it is them who are future school teachers and are agents of imparting reproductive health related knowledge which is an important issue of population education in bringing positive change in the attitude towards and management of reproductive health of the students. Estimation of trainee teachers’ understanding about sex education gives us idea of the need of inclusion of reproductive health education in teacher education curriculum and with that we are able to prepare a blue print of future road ahead to sensitize students at school level about management of reproductive health that is beneficial not only in maintaining wellbeing of reproductive health but attaining sustainable development goals ensuring gender equality, reducing inequalities and promoting peace and justice in society at large. 78 trainee teachers of semester III (2nd year) of B.Ed. course from Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata participated in a questionnaire survey regarding their attitude toward sex education in schools. Through analyzing their attitude, it has been tried to understand how perspectives of trainee teachers towards sex education irrespective of their subject of expertise are important to be effective and appropriate for the successful implementation of reproductive health education in schools.

Sex education in schools and colleges

Sex education in schools and colleges

EDUCAÇÃO SEXUAL: UMA ANÁLISE SOBRE LEGISLAÇÃO E DOCUMENTOS OFICIAIS BRASILEIROS EM DIFERENTES CONTEXTOS POLÍTICOS

ABSTRACT: The provision of Sexuality Education in schools can significantly contribute to the reduction of violence motivated by issues related to gender and sexuality. This Sexuality Education needs to go beyond purely biological issues, addressing several other themes, such as body, pleasure, consent, and violence in addition to more obvious issues of gender, sexuality and diversity. However, in order to carry it out, teachers need to have the support of official documents and legislation. This research aims to verify how issues concerning Sexuality Education, gender and sexuality appear in laws, decrees and other publications that guide Brazilian Education as well as to relate them to the socio-political contexts in which they were published. To achieve our goal, we searched for these documents, covering the period from 1990 to 2018, and we focused our analysis on twenty-eight of them. The analysis showed that, in fact, the legislation not only allows, but determines that Sexuality Education be in schools. However, different political contexts have a great impact on the way in which Sexuality Education appears in the documents, sometimes explicitly, sometimes subjectively and diluted in the discourse of diversity and recently, completely silenced. In addition, recurrent cycles of advances and setbacks in different political contexts since re-democratization have culminated in gaps and discontinuities in Sexuality Education policies, impeding the development of a specific law on the subject and preventing its consolidation within Brazilian schools.

Conduta suicida em adolescentes e violências intrafamiliares e de gênero: revisão narrativa

Abstract Objective This study is a narrative review to consider how intrafamilial and gender violence can engender psychological suffering and suicidal behavior in adolescents. Method The Portal de Periódicos Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases were searched for publications about risk factors for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation in adolescents, between 2010 and 2020. Results Intrafamilial violence was found to be a risk factor. Most suicide attempts occur between 15 and 19 years and are mainly due to drug intake. Gender violence, especially homophobia, is a risk factor for ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents, especially bisexual adolescents. Conclusion Interventions concerning sexual education in schools, promotion of spaces for dialogues about suicide, and modification of the binary bias in studies about adolescent sexualities are necessary.

Teachers’ perception of sex education in primary schools

Teachers’ perception of sex education in primary schools

Toward contraception education in basic schools: Teachers' knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding contraceptive use by basic school pupils in a Ghanaian Municipality.

We examined teachers' knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding contraception by basic school pupils in a Ghanaian Municipality. This was an explorative, analytical cross-sectional study using the mixed-method approach. Participants comprised 183 public and private basic school teachers and 20 school health coordinators in the study area. The statistical tests carried out were in two folds. Quantitative data were analyzed with a statistical package for social sciences version 20 to generate tables. A logistic regression model was used to examine associations between the predictor and the binary response variables. Adjusted odds ratio accounted for other predictor variables in the model. For the qualitative data, recorded interviews were transcribed and content analysis was done to identify themes, subthemes, and results presented as participants' direct quotations/paraphrased statements. Knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes were assessed using 3-Likert scale type questions developed by the author. Participants' sociodemographic characteristics were associated with perceptions and attitudes toward contraception in basic schools. At 95% confidence intervals, the p-values were not significant for any of the variables tested. However, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) showed positive perceptions among participants aged 35-39 (aOR = 7.24; p = 0.35), women (aOR = 4.22; p = 0.25), higher educated (aOR = 4.32; p = 0.56), work experience between 16 and 20 years (aOR = 6.65; p = 0.96), four or more children (aOR = 6.35; p = 0.96); divorcee (aOR = 10.12; p = 2.92); intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) (aOR = 5.02; p = 2.43); or condoms users (aOR = 7.09; p = 0.32). Negative perceptions were noted among affiliates of other religions compared to Christians (aOR = 0.19; p = 0.01) and subject teachers (aOR = 0.39; p = 0.01). Participants' perceptions were directly influenced by attitudes toward contraception and knowledge (p = 0.081). The qualitative findings showed mixed feelings about contraceptive education in basic schools. Basic school teachers have challenges with contraceptive education which have implications for comprehensive sex education in Ghanaian basic schools. We recommend a similar study among parents of the pupils and a nationwide study to examine this concept further.

Sex Education in Islamic Primary Schools in The Netherlands

The Netherlands is known for its progressive attitude towards dealing with sexuality. Sex education has a permanent place in the educational system. Dutch legislation provides schools with the opportunity to teach the subject in their own way, in line with the school’s ethos/identity. In this article I answer the question: What are the views and attitudes of RE teachers regarding sexuality in the teaching practice of Islamic primary schools? Qualitative research among six teachers of religious education (RE), a school principal, and a counsellor of religion at the Islamic school foundation SIMON, shows that respondents experience a gap between Islamic principles regarding sexuality and views common in Dutch society. Topics that lead to discussion include talking openly about sex, sexual diversity and the use of photos and images. The question emerges what role shame plays in Islamic sex education. One experiences a paradox as to the call to shame that emanates from religious sources, which seems to contradict the openness found in the same sources. Islamic sex education at SIMON schools seems to prefer open, informative, and modest communication about (almost) all subjects related to sexuality. Islamic views and an attitude of respect are encouraged with positive and loving terminology.