Sexuality Education in Australian Secondary Schools – A Teachers Perspective
Data were collected between August and October 2010 using an anonymous online survey. Respondents were recruited by representative random sampling as well as snowball sampling. The two samples were merged and weighted according to the distribution of teachers by state. Descriptive data analysis was used to gain a comprehensive understanding of the content and forces on sexuality education.
Most teachers followed a comprehensive approach by teaching the majority of relevant topics. While sexuality education was mainly taught in years 9 and 10 and only a few topics were more likely to be covered in years 7 and 8 (e.g. puberty, reproduction and body image), a large proportion of teachers wanted most topics to be covered earlier. Although feeling supported by their school and parents, 65% of teachers agreed that there was insufficient time for teaching the amount of sexuality education needed and 44% of teachers were careful what they taught because of possible adverse community reactions. 54% of teachers named constraints in the curriculum or in time allowance as their main reasons for not having taught a specific topic. Many teachers also commented on the lack of up-to-date teaching resources inhibiting teaching that matches students’ needs in a modern society dominated by media. The limited time allowance, curriculum constraints, the shortage of up-to-date resources and anticipated adverse community reactions mean a significant challenge for providing effective comprehensive programs and helping young people make healthy decisions.
Disclosure of Interest Statement: The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing funded this research project.
