Despite the growing popularity of brief group interventions (weekend workshops, sexuality attitude reassessment seminars, and other formats) since the 1960s, there is a paucity of evaluative evidence as to their effectiveness. An abundance of anecdotal testimony suggests these interventions may have powerful and lasting impact on individual…

Preschoolers' knowledge of genital names facilitates disclosure of sexual abuse and provides the foundation for subsequent sex education. Surveys of preschoolers in the early 1990s found that few children knew proper names for the genitals. To determine knowledge among a current cohort of culturally diverse children, 128 preschool children were…

This exploratory study measured the sexuality education and HIV knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors of young adults (n = 410), ages 18-21, who recently graduated from public high schools in a midwestern state. Based on the participants' responses to specific questions, students were placed into one of three groups: students who received no…

The examination of gender roles and stereotypes and their subsequent impact on sexual behavior is a concept for discussion in many sex education courses in college and sex education units in high school. This analysis often leads to a discussion of the impact of nature vs. nurture on gender roles. The gender roles scavenger hunt is an interactive…

This paper discusses the use of Web site presentations in human sexuality courses. Web site presentations are a good way to incorporate additional information about human sexuality into a course, and they provide a way to learn to critique human sexuality material on the Internet. In addition, they help students to practice presentation skills. A…

Teenage pregnancy is not a new issue, and though policymakers have made token efforts toward curtailing the problem, current preventative and support programs have little effect. Their failure can be attributed to an institutional refusal to acknowledge teenagers as sexual beings, thus limiting the scope of sex education curricula. Abstinence-only…

"Inside the Sex Ed Studio" profiles leaders in the field of sexuality education. Susan N. Wilson, former Executive Coordinator of the Network for Family Life Education, long-time advocate for sexuality education, and the driving force behind New Jersey's K-12 mandate for comprehensive sexuality education was the first such leader to be profiled…

Peer sexual health education programs are widespread on college campuses, but little research has assessed the effect of these programs on the peer educators. This study employed a repeated measures design to examine changes over the academic quarter in the knowledge, counseling self-efficacy, and sexual behavior of 70 college students enrolled in…

To assess the extent to which consumers of adult retail stores present "teachable moments" that could be used for sexuality education, data were analyzed from 273 employees of adult retail stores in 61 U.S. cities. Participants reported on the frequency with which they were asked questions related to disease prevention, pregnancy prevention, or…

A classroom-based activity was created to help undergraduate students in a course about the HIV epidemic explore and better understand the nature and scope of anti-HIV stigma. The activity asks students to assess the extent of their sympathy for several people living with HIV disease when given only a brief statement about how each person became…

Human sexuality is taught in a number of public middle and high schools within the United States. Teachers report less professional preparation and training in this area and difficulties associated with teaching what is considered to be a sensitive subject. In the current paper, we review the nature by which sexuality education is positioned…

We examine abstinence-only-until-marriage education as part of a broad effort to reassert the primacy of conventional (hetero) sexual norms. While all sexuality education offers students lessons in "good sexual citizenship," abstinence-only-until-marriage education reserves the rights and responsibilities of membership and belonging for those who…

GThe purpose of this article is to better inform educators about the what, why, and how of group learning so that they can more confidently and effectively use it to teach about sexuality. The article begins by presenting the "what" of group learning with definitions and descriptions of various methodologies, specifically cooperative and…

As a Family and Consumer Science educator at Union City High School in Union City, Pennsylvania, I have heard and seen a great deal. I have been teaching for 24 years at this rural Pennsylvania Middle/High School where teen pregnancy has always been a problem. Teaching students abstinence as the only method of birth control has been a major…

Sexuality education occurs both formally and informally in the public school system. This study sought to assess sexuality education in Indiana public schools--the classroom curricula as well as students' sexuality-related questions. Data were collected from teachers, nurses, and counselors (N = 399) pertaining to the inclusion of specific topics…