ERIC Number: EJ1136262
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Nov
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: N/A
Picture That: Supporting Sexuality Educators in Narrowing the Knowledge/Practice Gap
Beyers, Christa
South African Journal of Education, v32 n4 p367-380 Nov 2012
Teaching about sex and relationships is one of the greatest challenges in not only the combating of HIV and AIDS, but also in preparing the youth for responsible sexual behaviour. Although it seems as if teachers to some extent do feel comfortable with the teaching of sexuality education at school, the question however remains as to whether youth get the information they require. In this article, I present drawings produced by teacher participants in order to investigate the beliefs that teachers hold regarding young people's needs from sexuality education. As a result of the findings from this study, I will argue that teachers do have a sound knowledge of what contributes to promiscuous sexual behaviour and what is required to narrow the knowledge/practice gap, as discussed by Allen (2001), but they still want to teach what they find acceptable. I will attempt to interrogate the knowledge/practice gap from the "other side"--what do teachers base their beliefs on when deciding what content is appropriate to teach in sexuality education and their understanding with regard to what youth require from sexuality education in the classroom.
Descriptors: Sexuality, Educational Needs, Teacher Expectations of Students, Beliefs, Student Behavior, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Health Education, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Secondary School Students, Freehand Drawing, Visual Arts, Cultural Influences, Role Models, Family Life, Social Behavior, Foreign Countries, Achievement Gap, Educational Practices, Familiarity, Qualitative Research, Secondary School Teachers
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A