Beyond the Call of Duty: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Additional Responsibilities Related to Sexuality Education

Abstract

Seven focus groups were conducted with sexuality educators in Minnesota to explore ways that teaching sexuality education differs from teaching other health education content and to determine if additional supports or resources are needed for sexuality educators. Teachers described many specific additional responsibilities or concerns related to sexuality education, including a) interacting with parents, b) interacting with administration, c) addressing students’ personal concerns, d) managing sensitive information in the classroom, and e) developing and updating lesson plans. Findings suggest that Minnesota teachers often go above and beyond their usual responsibilities to provide quality sexuality education for their students, both in and out of the classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex education
• teaching
• adolescence
• focus groups

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Birds & Bees Project. This research was also supported in part by a contract with the University of Minnesota Prevention Research Center, 1 U48 DP001939-01, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the CDC.

Human Subjects Approval Statement: The University of Minnesota's Institutional Review Board approved all study protocols.