Will comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) help in youth development?

2021 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-149
Author(s):  
Hari Hara Sudhan Ramaswamy
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Culturally Relevant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Sexuality Education ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Age Appropriate

PurposeThe purpose of this review is to critically analyse the extant research and help readers understand the ways the school-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) can contribute towards youth development and urge policymakers to implement nationwide good-quality, scientific, culturally relevant, age-appropriate and holistic school-based CSE.Design/methodology/approachThis literature review has been designed using the extant information available on Google Scholar, Web of Science (WoS) and PubMed.FindingsThe findings of this review inform that there is a significant need amongst the youth of the day for good-quality, scientific, culturally relevant, age-appropriate and holistic school-based CSE. Also, the findings suggest that there are significant associations between school-based CSE and youth development.Research limitations/implicationsThis research paper although draws from extant literature about sexuality education and its delivery across the globe, it applies the sexuality education scenario in India.Practical implicationsThe findings of this review aim to implicate nationwide policy-level changes to implement CSE in the school curricula. There are more practical behavioural changes that CSE could foster amongst students, which are discussed in the review.Social implicationsDue to the behavioural changes that CSE could foster amongst students, it may help in the upbringing of responsible citizens who are free of health complications, who can make independent health-related decisions and look after each other in the community.Originality/valueThis review is an original contribution from the author. Whilst there is extant literature about CSE and youth development, this article fills the void by investigating the interdependent contributions that both the concepts can make to one another and encourages more research on this topic.

Sexuality education: implications for health, equity, and social justice in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Elia ◽  
Jessica Tokunaga
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Education Curriculum ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how school-based sexuality education has had a long and troubled history of exclusionary pedagogical practices that have negatively affected such populations as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer (LGBTQ) individuals, people of color, and the disabled. The social ecological model is introduced as a way of offering sexuality educators and school administrators a way of thinking more broadly about how to achieve sexual health through sexuality education efforts inside and outside of the school environment. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses critical analysis of current and historical school-based sexuality education methods and curricula used in the USA. Authors use both academic journals and their own expertise/experience teaching sexuality education in the USA to analyze and critique the sources of sexuality education information and curricula used in schools. Findings – Historically, sexuality education in school settings in the USA has been biased and has generally not offered an educational experience fostering sexual health for all students. There are now welcome signs of reform and movement toward a more inclusive and progressive approach, but there is still some way to go. Sexuality education programs in schools need to be further and fundamentally reformed to do more to foster sexual health particularly for LGBTQ individuals, students of color, and people with disabilities. Practical implications – This paper offers sexuality educators ways of addressing structural issues within the sexuality education curriculum to better serve all students to increase the quality of their sexual health. Integrating critical pedagogy and anti-oppressive education can increase students’ sexual health along physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. Originality/value – This paper provides historical analysis along with the identification of structural difficulties in the sexuality education curriculum and proposes both critical pedagogy and anti-oppressive education as ways of addressing sex and relationships education.

scholarly journals Barriers to HIV and sexuality education in Asia

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmini Iyer ◽  
David Clarke ◽  
Peter Aggleton
Keyword(s):  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
School Level ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Quality School

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the key barriers to the delivery of school-based HIV and sexuality education in selected countries in Asia. Design/methodology/approach – A review of published literature on barriers to school-based HIV and sexuality in countries in Asia was conducted, with a focus on research carried out after 1990. The paper also draws on recently undertaken national situation analyses of HIV and sexuality education conducted by the second author with support from UNESCO, as well as more general Asia-Pacific regional assessments undertaken by others. Findings – Four key barriers to the delivery of good quality, school-based HIV and sexuality education are identified: cultural and contextual factors, policy factors, resource constraints and school-level factors. Originality/value – The paper maps these four barriers as key areas in which action needs to occur in order to improve the delivery of school-based HIV and sexuality education. Potential levers for success are highlighted.

scholarly journals Sexual health interventions among early adolescents: an integrative review

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 467-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monrudee Chokprajakchad ◽  
Rutja Phuphaibul ◽  
Renee Evangeline Sieving
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Sexual Risk ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Early Adolescents ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Sexual Risk Behaviours

Purpose Adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV are important public health issues in many countries around the world. The trend is escalating among adolescents of younger ages. Many programmes aim to prevent adolescent sexual risk behaviours associated with these health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse methodological and substantive features of research on interventions to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse and prevent other sexual risk behaviours among early adolescents. Design/methodology/approach The review includes studies published between 2006 and 2017 that appear in Thai and international databases. Findings A total of 33 studies met specified review criteria. Of the studies reviewed, 14 used randomized control designs, 16 used quasi-experimental designs and three used a pre-test, post-test design. Sample sizes ranged from 64 to 4,776 subjects; nearly two-thirds of the studies (n = 22) included multiple follow-up surveys. The programmes evaluated in these studies can be grouped into three categories: abstinence-based sexuality education programmes (n = 12), comprehensive sexuality education programmes (n = 13) and youth development programmes designed for early adolescents (n = 10). In total, 22 programmes reviewed were effective in changing targeted adolescent psychosocial and/or behavioural outcomes. Research limitations/implications One of the limitations encountered in this study involved the search in library databases published only in Thai and English. Due to the limitation of searching library databases included in the review that reported the effects and differences among the included studies. Moreover, the search included publications consisted of heterogeneous designs and purpose with reports of different types of outcomes made it impossible to compare effect sizes. Practical implications The knowledge gained can be used to design and implement effective sexual health promotion programmes for early adolescents. Moreover, the findings can be applied as a guideline for health provider working in a schools, communities and adolescent health services. Recommendations for future studies are needed to consider methodological and substantive characteristics as well as the people who are involved in youth sexual health outcomes. Social implications It is necessary for government to develop a policy for encouraging parents to be aware and participate in solving the problems. Originality/value The review indicated that the positive effects of parental involvement and technology media as a programme material on the psychosocial and behavioural outcomes.

scholarly journals A Cross-Sectional Community Readiness Assessment for Implementing School-Based Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Islamabad, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1497
Author(s):  
Furqan Ahmed ◽  
Ghufran Ahmad ◽  
Katharina Paff ◽  
Florence Samkange-Zeeb ◽  
Tilman Brand
Keyword(s):  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Community Readiness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Readiness Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Comprehensive Sexuality Education ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
School Based

Evidence indicates that school-based sexuality education empowers children and adolescents with the skills, values, and attitudes that will enable them to appreciate their health and well-being, nourish respectful social and sexual relationships, understand their rights, and to make informed choices. Owing to organized community resistance and prevalent misconceptions, promoting sexual and reproductive health has been challenging, especially in conservative settings like Pakistan. This study aimed at systematically exploring communities’ perceptions regarding implementing school-based comprehensive sexuality education by conducting a cross-sectional community readiness assessment in Islamabad, Pakistan. A total of 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted with community key informants. Following the guidelines of the community readiness handbook, the interviews were transcribed and scored by two independent raters. The results indicate that, overall, the Islamabad community is at stage two of community readiness, the denial/resistance stage. Individual dimension scores indicate that knowledge of efforts, resources for efforts, knowledge about the issue, and leadership dimensions are at the denial/resistance stage. Only community climate was rated at stage three of community readiness, the vague awareness stage. This indicates that, for promoting sexuality education in the Pakistani context, it is essential to tackle resistance by sensitizing the community and the stakeholders through awareness campaigns.

The research landscape of school-based sexuality education

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Anne Roien ◽  
Christian Graugaard ◽  
Venka Simovska
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Conceptual Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to map and discuss the overall characteristics of international research on school-based sexuality education, published in academic journals, with a particular focus on the framing of non-conservative approaches including sexuality education research targeting young pupils 6-12 years of age. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon the methodology of systematic research mapping and presents a broad overview of research on sexuality education in a school setting for pupils aged 6-16. The authors searched the leading bibliographic databases in the field, i.e., ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Australian Education Index, British Education Index and Education Research Complete, using the search terms “sexuality education” and “school” and “children” or “adolescents.” The mapping focused on articles published in peer-reviewed journals in English, German, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, in the period 2000-2016. Findings Out of 3,769 papers identified in the search process, a total of 576 papers were found to meet the inclusion criteria of the mapping. The mapping portrays a research landscape that is diverse and nuanced in terms of contextual, theoretical and methodological approaches, but also characterized by limitations. The findings point to the clear dominance of research on schools in English-speaking countries, conceptual research is scarce, and school-based sexuality education aimed at the youngest children seems to be neglected. The mapping identifies gaps in the literature that justify a call for more research from diverse sociocultural, political and geographical contexts, more conceptual research using social theory, and more research focusing on the potentials and challenges linked to sexuality education for younger pupils. Originality/value This paper offers a rare, if not the first, comprehensive overview of research on school-based sexuality education including a focus on younger school children 6-12 years of age.

scholarly journals Comprehensive sexuality education in Hong Kong: study protocol for process and outcome evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellie Bostwick Andres ◽  
Edmond Pui Hang Choi ◽  
Alice Wai Chi Fung ◽  
Kevin Wing Chung Lau ◽  
Neda Hei Tung Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Comprehensive School ◽  
Comprehensive Sexuality Education ◽  
School Based ◽  
Sexual Health Knowledge ◽  
Education In Hong Kong

Abstract Background Hong Kong lacks comprehensive school-based sexuality education. Recent public health concerns have brought the inadequacies of sex education in Hong Kong to the forefront. The aim of the proposed study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive school-based sexuality education program in Hong Kong. Methods The proposed study is a prospective longitudinal study implemented in six secondary schools in Hong Kong over two academic years. The study adopts an ecological approach providing informational workshops for students, teachers and school management, social workers and guidance counsellors and parents. Study outcomes will be evaluated through pre- and post-tests. Results Key outcomes of interest among students include sexual health knowledge, awareness of values motivating healthy sexual decisions, understanding and efficacy of sexual communication and intention to use contraception. Among school employees and parents key outcomes include self-efficacy to engage in sexual health discussions with students/children, sexual health knowledge and awareness of Hong Kong community sexual health resources. Conclusions The proposed study will result in the development of a tested school-based culturally relevant comprehensive sexual health education program. Ultimately, this program aims to not only empower adolescents and their trusted adults in building a supportive environment for sexual health promotion but also construct a learning network to generate longitudinal evidence for the effectiveness of comprehensive sexuality education in improving sexual health outcomes. The program has the potential for expansion through widespread adoption in Hong Kong schools to benefit more adolescents and reduce the medical and societal burdens related to crisis pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and sexual abuse.

Motivational aspects of community support for school‐based comprehensive sexuality education

Sex Education ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman A. Constantine ◽  
Jana Kay Slater ◽  
Julie Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Comprehensive Sexuality Education ◽  
School Based
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