‘Sexuality isn't just about sex’: pre-service teachers' shifting constructs of sexuality education

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a three-year study into pre-service (student) teachers' experiences of and beliefs about sexuality education in New Zealand schools. It reports on participants' own memories of school sexuality education programmes, and examines changes in their constructs of sexuality education during their teacher education in health education. Comparisons between their original beliefs about what constitutes ‘good’ sexuality education and those they had developed after three years of teacher education are made. Before beginning and after completing introductory health education courses in 2004 and third-year health education specialism courses in 2006, quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Analysis of the earlier data showed that participants saw learning about physical safety and disaster prevention as constituting effective sexuality education. By the end of 2006, although physical safety and avoiding risk were still presented as important aspects of sexuality education, a theme of ‘sexuality isn't just about sex’ had emerged. Positive and comprehensive approaches to teaching about sexuality now defined their constructs of sexuality education. Only few participants, however, demonstrated embedded understanding of sexuality as a social construction, or expressed critical or socio-ecological perspectives of sexuality education.