Young People S Views On Sex Education

Based on observation of sex education programmes and in-depth interviews with young people, the authors aim to understand more about adolescent's attitudes to sexuality and their sexual behaviour in order to develop policies which will meet their needs more appropriately and effectively. Issues covered in this interesting and accessible book include the ways adolescent informal culture affects sex education programmes and practice; the impact of gender inequality on sex education and safer sex behaviours; legislation and policy frameworks which effect sex education policies; the way young people see legislation and evaluate sex education programmes; and the impact health professionals can have in school sex education. The authors contend that the insights into the values and views that young people bring to bear on the sex education they receive should have an important role to play in the development of policy and practice of those involved in sex education work.

This book explores contemporary issues in sexuality and relationship education for young people. Drawing upon rich empirical and ethnographic research undertaken with students and teachers in secondary schools, the author asks how school-based sexuality education can better equip young people to engage with contemporary social, political and cultural sexuality and relationships issues. Creatively working across both theoretical and practical contexts, this accessible work suggests approaches to sexuality and relationships education that can build upon the ways in which young people are developing a sense of identity; the ultimate aim being to help them to meet their emotional, spiritual and relational potential. Challenging established approaches to sexuality education, this thought-provoking book shines a new light on alternative perspectives that can help make sexuality and relationships education more relevant and meaningful for young people in a rapidly changing world. This volume will be of interest and value to students and scholars of sexuality and relationship education, as well as practitioners.

Pedagogies of Possibility for Negotiating Sexuality Education with Young People offers a sustained and critical consideration of the possibilities and politics of engaging with young people in the redevelopment and delivery of contemporary approaches to Sexuality Education.

“Up-to-date and accessible, this book manages to be both theoretically subtle and attuned to the realities of classroom practice.†Dr Rachel Thomson, The Open University "[This] book is a great success and provides a wealth of insights into the realities of teaching and being taught about sex and relationships." Michael Reiss, Institute of Education What are the different values and perspectives on sex and relationship education within a single secondary school? How do young people think sex education should be taught? What are the challenges facing the provision of good sex and relationship education at the classroom level and at the political level? Young people often receive mixed messages about gender and sexual relationships. When providing sex education lessons, schools should take into account different ideas and values, including the general British embarrassment over intimate matters and differing political and personal views about sex education. This book combines young people’s views of sex education, schooling and parenthood, with those of teachers, school nurses and head-teachers. It brings together these varied perspectives and considers how they reveal different values, aims and agendas. The authors highlight the potential conflict between approaches to education and health, and reveal the complexity of dealing with sexuality and gender in real-life situations. Focusing on young people’s identities in the classroom, contemporary theoretical approaches in the social sciences are employed to explore how gender is enacted and experienced by individuals, and how social pressures and government agendas operate at the level of the individual. This book contains original, first-hand empirical material from a detailed study of all the schools in one English city, and offers a critical analysis of broader political and cultural ideas and values. Get Real About Sexis key reading for students and professionals in education, health and the sociology of gender and sexuality.

Based on observation of sex education programmes and in-depth interviews with young people, the authors aim to understand more about adolescent's attitudes to sexuality and their sexual behaviour in order to develop policies which will meet their needs more appropriately and effectively. Issues covered in this interesting and accessible book include the ways adolescent informal culture affects sex education programmes and practice; the impact of gender inequality on sex education and safer sex behaviours; legislation and policy frameworks which effect sex education policies; the way young people see legislation and evaluate sex education programmes; and the impact health professionals can have in school sex education. The authors contend that the insights into the values and views that young people bring to bear on the sex education they receive should have an important role to play in the development of policy and practice of those involved in sex education work.

Educating young people about sex and sexuality remains one of the most controversial and political areas of the school curriculum. Drawing on young people's own understandings of their sexual selves, knowledge and practices Sexual Subjects considers the implications for how we conceptualize the effectiveness of sexuality education. Reshaping thinking around youthful (hetero)sexualities Sexual Subjects challenges current approaches to teaching about sex and sexuality.

Going beyond the hype and controversy, Elliott examines how a diverse group of American parents of teenagers understand teen sexuality, showing that, in contrast to the idea that parents are polarized in their beliefs, parents are confused, anxious, and ambivalent about teen sexual activity and how best to guide their own childrens' sexuality.