Comparison of Community College Students’ Sexual Health Dimensions

ABSTRACT

Sexually active college students in the United States have alarming rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Varying degrees of sexual health knowledge and attitudes among college students are an outcome of sexuality education in the K-12 school systems with abstinence-only or comprehensive focus. Community college students (n = 737) aged 18–24 years, 57% from a college in an abstinence-only sex education state and 43% from a college in a comprehensive sex education state, both in the Mid-Atlantic region, took the Sexual Health Survey in October 2016, which measures sexual health knowledge and attitudes. Gender and ethnicity differences, as well as other sources of sexuality information were evaluated. Students from the comprehensive sex education state, New Jersey had higher sexual health knowledge and attitude scores than the students from the abstinence-only sex education state, Pennsylvania. Male students in New Jersey scored significantly higher in sexual health knowledge compared to male students in Pennsylvania, while female students in New Jersey had higher sexual health knowledge scores compared to the male students. Analysis of ethnicity revealed the New Jersey college sample had healthier sexual attitudes as compared to the Pennsylvania college sample, with notable distinction among Black students. The Internet, friends, and personal experiences were chosen by 75% of all students across both colleges as the top reported sources of sexuality information. In addition to advocating for comprehensive sex education, recommendations are made for sexual health initiatives in community colleges to provide sexual health instruction and support.     

What Influences the Quality of Research: Findings from an Editorial Management Database

Abstract

This paper details the use of the Internet by educators and parents of students with disabilities, software tools that make the Internet accessible to students with special needs, and the state of Web-based instruction for these students. Issues are discussed that relate to current research with students with various disabilities as well as the scarcity of research with special education students using the Internet.     

Closing Sex Education's Knowledge/Practice Gap: The reconceptualisation of young people's sexual knowledge

In rethinking what is theoretically conceived as a 'gap' between what young people learn in sexuality education and what they do in practice, this article argues for the need to comprehend young people's sexual knowledge from their own conceptualisation of this. Drawing on empirical findings from research with New Zealanders aged 17-19, young people's own understandings of their sexual knowledge are explored. These findings indicate how young people in the study conceptualised sexual knowledge in two ways: as information derived from secondary sources such as sexuality education, and knowledge gleaned from personal sexual experience. Hierarchies were evident within and between such types of sexual knowledge, in terms of the status young people afforded, and the interest they displayed in them. The type of sexual knowledge young people were most interested in, and which they identified as lacking in sexuality education, centred on a 'discourse of erotics'. It is argued that the inclusion of this discourse within sexuality education programmes might offer one way of closing the knowledge/practice gap, by raising the status of sexuality education's messages for young people and drawing this information closer to their lived sexual experiences.     

Lesbian and gay teachers and sex/uality education policy enactment in schools

ABSTRACT

This paper examines lesbian and gay teachers’ identities and experiences in schools in the context of school policies relating to homophobia and to sex and sexuality education. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 12 lesbian and gay teachers working in English and Welsh schools, and using the concept of ‘policy enactment’, I analyse the ways in which school policies around homo/bi/transphobic bullying and sex/uality education and their enactment are perceived by lesbian and gay teachers. The article examines teachers’ personal experiences in relation to sexuality in school, and then broadens out into related issues for pupils and a discussion of the varied approaches to sex and relationships education in the schools. I argue that the enactment of these policies is not straightforward, and that they could be better supported by a more inclusive and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum.     

Our stories matter: storytelling and social justice in the Hollaback! movement

ABSTRACT

As feminist and anti-racist scholars and activists have long known, which stories predominate and which are marginalised is always a question of power and authority – about who is entitled to speak, and who has the authority to decide the meanings of words and actions. Storytelling can be used as a tool for social justice, as exemplified by the international feminist movement Hollaback! and its regional and worldwide struggle to end street harassment and make public spaces accessible for everyone. This article examines the practice of sharing stories within one specific Hollaback! group, highlighting the timeliness of the online storytelling technologies promoted by the movement and considering this work as an example of extra-academic feminist education. The article concludes by questioning to what extent feminists manage to formulate their own localised struggles through storytelling within the feminist movement as a whole.     

The Hybrid Construction of Sexuality in Mexico and its Impact on Sex Education

As is now widely established, sexuality is a historically and culturally specific social construction. In Mexico, such construction has been dominated by different institutions and discourses at different times. From pre-Hispanic times to today, this article traces the ideas that main institutions, like the Catholic Church, have ingrained in Mexican sexual culture and shows how they have changed over time. At present, sexuality has become a contested arena?like never before?in which very diverse discourses contend for hegemony. Formal sex education has not been alien to this debate, in which religion, medicine, gender equity discourses and ethics seem to have a differential input in curricula and textbooks. This article discusses the expression of this tension in formal sex education in Mexico.     

Exploring Sexuality Education and the Burdened Teacher: A Participatory Approach in a Rural Primary School in Kenya

Abstract

Twenty-five years since the onset of HIV/AIDS, young people aged 15–24 now make up half of new HIV infections. This paper advocates for comprehensive sexuality education as an effective panacea to reverse this, with teachers stepping up and embracing their role as sexuality educators. The exploration of this challenge is informed by a small-scale participatory study of teacher responses in a rural primary school in Nakuru district, Kenya. Dialogue was held with 18 teachers (11 females, seven males) on the challenges they faced in teaching sexuality education and teachers emerged as disorientated and embarrassed in conversations about sexuality issues with the pupils. Because sexuality education lacks a curriculum, teachers have found it challenging to integrate it into regular subjects; they also observed that parents seem resistant to addressing this at home, and thus this task falls to them.

In the study, a process of self-awareness of the need for them to step up and teach sexuality education emerges among the participants. A key finding is that participatory and dialectical interventions that can prepare teachers and develop their confidence in teaching sexuality education are required.     

Sexual Health Equity in Schools: Inclusive Sexuality and Relationship Education for Gender and Sexual Minority Students

ABSTRACT

This paper offers a review of school-based sexuality and relationship education as it relates to gender and sexual minority (GSM) students. Framed by a queer theory lens, the paper examines four main topics: (a) sexual health and relationship risks for GSM youth, (b) comprehensive school-based sexuality education as a protective factor for sexual health and relationship risks, (c) the current availability of relevant sexuality education for GSM students in the United States, and (d) inclusive schools as a social determinant of health. The author advocates for health equity, and offers suggestions for inclusive, comprehensive sexuality and relationship education to provide relevant, accurate, positive information for all students.     

Responsibilities,tensions and ways forward: parents’ perspectives on children’s sexuality education

Abstract

Children’s sexuality education continues to be plagued with tensions and controversies. In consequence, children’s access to sexuality education is severely compromised, especially in terms of the time dedicated to this topic, the content addressed, how it is taught and by whom. Based on a study of 342 Australian parents of primary school aged children we explore: (i) parents’ perceptions of the relevance and importance of sexuality education to their primary school aged children and the discourses that inform their perspectives; (ii) parents’ views on who should be responsible for the sexuality education of young children; (iii) whether there are certain aspects of sexuality education considered more appropriate for the family to address with children; and (iv) what the implications of these findings are for sexuality education policy and practice in Australian primary schooling. Despite the controversial nature of the topic, the majority of parents in this study believed sexuality education was relevant and important to primary school children and that it should be a collaborative approach between families and schools. However, some parents/carers acknowledged that while that they believed that some topics should only be addressed at home they also indicated that this often does not happen.     

Education for Diversity in a Multisexual Society: Negotiating the contradictions of contemporary discourse

In spite of recent significant changes to the National Curriculum in England and Wales, including the introduction of personal, social and health education and citizenship, the subjects of sexuality and sexual identity remain virtually untouched in English primary and secondary schools. While diversity of sexual orientation is acknowledged in new government guidance on sex and relationship education, it receives no explicit recognition elsewhere in the curriculum. In this article, the author examines the current social, political and legal context within which this curriculum is situated, and its often contradictory intersections with popular culture. Drawing on current research into sexuality, gender construction and heteronormative forces in education, the author outlines a complex and contradictory network of forces which simultaneously exploit and undermine non-heterosexual lifestyles and relationships, and examines the way in which these discourses permeate both the school and wider society. The author considers ways in which these intersections and contradictions might be used as a means of challenging compulsory heterosexuality within and beyond the school.     

Three quality professional documents to guide teachers for puberty,relationships and sexuality education

Quality school-based sexuality education is important for all children and adolescents. The global trend towards students’ earlier, longer, and technologically connected pubertal experience makes the timely provision of such education particularly significant. Quality international sexuality education documents are available for teachers developing curriculum-based frameworks and pastoral care programmes, and these variously include policy and structural guidance, equity standards, comprehensive content and pedagogical strategies. This paper aims to compare three such documents for their relevance in meeting the educational needs of students, and their usefulness for teachers and educators. The results show that these three documents, produced by global organisations for multi-national application, provide highly professional and sustainable responses to the dire need for improved sexuality education for all children and adolescents, in formats accessible to any curriculum planner or teacher. Inclusive and timely provision of any of these document frameworks would help enhance sexuality teaching and learning in contemporary primary and secondary schools, and they are highly recommended for use by teachers around the world.     

移动学习是实现终身教育的有效手段

移动学习是基于移动互联网的一种新型的学习形式。随着互联网技术、移动设备的发展和普及,人们的学习观和教育观也在发生着深刻的变化,学习已不再是传统意义上的学校教育、课堂教学。移动学习已成为人们日常生活中不可缺少的一部分,它为实现“人人皆学、处处可学、时时能学”的学习型社会,构建灵活开放的终身教育体系,发挥着重要作用。     

Out of Harmony on the Cherokee Boundary: Clinics,culture and the sex ed curriculum

Based upon fieldwork on the Cherokee Boundary in the USA during the mid-1990s, the author explores why a community that supported a teen health clinic and whose high school curriculum met the state standards for sexuality education continued to have a teen pregnancy rate that was one of the highest in western North Carolina. In the process, this study examines the conflicting views about adolescent sexuality, particularly teen pregnancy and homosexuality, held by Cherokee progressives and traditionalists as well as the resulting contradictory approaches to sex education within a community that values harmony. Arguing that the tribe's education policies worked at cross-purposes, the author details the mismatch between the school's sex education curriculum and health clinic vis-à-vis students' sexual interests, knowledge, and behaviors. Difficulties in integrating native culture and an absence of communication further inhibited the policies' effectiveness. Paradoxically, by avoiding the disharmonious issue of sexuality education, the community has become further out of harmony.     

Examining Sexuality Education Preferences Among Youth at Risk for Poor Sexual Health Outcomes Based on Social Determinants of Health Factors

ABSTRACT

At-risk adolescents may experience Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) that lead to higher rates of risky sexual behavior, including increased risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. These SDoH may include components such as unstable family structures, incomplete education, and poverty. Targeting at-risk youth for sexuality education is one way to work toward decreasing sexual health disparities. However, preferences for sexuality education approaches may differ among at-risk youth by additional factors including sex and sexual orientation. The purpose of this study was to describe sexuality education preferences among at-risk youth and how sexuality education preferences differ based on sex and sexual orientation in an at-risk sample of high school-aged youth in Texas. Results indicate sexuality education preferences differ based on sex and sexual orientation when examined by sexual health topics and methods of delivery. Implications of this study indicate including at-risk youth in sexual health programs may be a way to target those at-risk of adverse SDoH, but these groups also have specific preferences for sexuality education.     

Discussing Environmental Education Research: how do we speak with each other?

On the Internet, newsgroups exist to promote the rapid exchange of views, critical comment, and information between interested parties. Newsgroups are accessible to everyone with access to the Internet, across the world. We propose a new newsgroup in the specific field of environmental education research to carry items likely to be of interest to those who read this journal.     

Sexuality Education and Implications for Quality of Care for Individuals with Adult Onset Disability: A Review of Current Literature

Purpose: To investigate the need for sexuality education for individuals with adult onset physical disabilities as it relates to quality of life and to identify current trends in the provision of sexuality education by health care providers relating to quality of care.

Data Sources: Literature review from January 1986 to December 2016.

Study Selection: Studies were selected that outlined current trends in sexuality in health care, the impact of disability on sexuality, and sexuality education from the perspectives of both patients and health care providers.

Results: Searches in multiple databases yielded 41 articles that outlined the current state of sexuality education related to individuals with disabilities. The results demonstrate the importance of addressing sexuality after the onset of disability, and the inconsistencies that are present in health care practitioner education related to this topic.

Conclusion: Sexuality is an important aspect of the human experience and is greatly impacted by the onset of physical disability. Despite the acknowledgment of health care providers that sexuality should be addressed in clinical practice, there is a gap in knowledge and comfort stemming from a lack of formal education on this topic. In order to enhance the quality of services provided to individuals with physical disabilities, educational programs that focus on a multidisciplinary approach to sexuality education should be established.     

终身教育──20世纪最重要的教育思潮

终身教育思想是符合时代要求的，代表先进生产力的教育思想。它改变了传统的教 育理念，使教育不再是学校教育的同义语，而是包括了正规教育和非正规教育、学校教育 和社会教育等一切教育形式，并贯穿于人的一生。在知识经济时代，终身教育是一种知识 更新、知识创新的教育，应把它作为指导思想来改革现行教育体制，构建出能涵盖各级各 类教育的，真正能促进个人全面发展的终身教育体系。     

Circle Time: A Much-neglected Resource in Secondary Schools?

Throughout this article, unless otherwise stated, the use of the term ‘circle time’ refers to a whole‐class meeting where everyone sits in a circle. It is a forum that is bound by strict groundrules to ensure emotional ‘safety’ and respectful listening. Different approaches to circle‐time are used at all levels of education. In this article ‘Circle Time’ (with initial capitals) refers to the Quality Circle Time Model and the strategies used within the circle as devised by Jenny Mosley (1989, 1993, 1996) as opposed to the many other circle‐time methods to be found in educational practice.     

‘Just Say No’: public dissent over sexuality education and the Canadian national imaginary

ABSTRACT

Scholars of sexuality have argued that ‘moral panics’ about sexuality often stand in for broader conflicts over nationality and belonging. Canada has spent decades cultivating a national image founded on multiculturalism and democratic equality. The Ontario sexuality education curriculum introduced in 2015 drew audible condemnation from a variety of groups. Drawing from Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Race Theory, we argue that the public discourse surrounding these protests exposed the limits of Canadian pluralism, fuelling a meta-debate about the ‘Canadianness’ of recent immigrants and the incompatibility of liberal values with those of non-Westerners, especially Muslims. We explain this in terms of contextual factors such as Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic school system and anti-Muslim xenophobia in the post-9/11 era. Our analysis speaks to the importance of intersectional social justice efforts as part of the movement for comprehensive sex education.     

Learners’ perspectives on Life Orientation sexuality education in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article examines the views of male and female learners regarding how Life Orientation (LO) sexuality education is taught at their schools. Learners in the study were selected from five former ‘Black’ schools in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa. Focus groups were used to identify what learners could recall about their LO sexuality education classes. The strong trend in the data speaks to how LO sexuality education implies a gendered, heteronormative and moralistic approach to youth sexuality which silences and negates same sex relationships and girls’ accounts of sexuality. Although LO sexuality curricula are, as crafted on paper, often sophisticated learning programmes, participants point to a disjuncture between the official LO sexuality education curriculum and how LO sexuality education is taught in the studied schools. The paper concludes with some specific recommendations for teachers to promote a non-judgemental approach to sexuality education that challenges heteronormativity and other gendered injustices as part of the teaching of LO sexuality education.