Comprehensive sexual education: senses of teachers and students at the secondary level

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7362253

This research, from a qualitative paradigm, aimed to reconstruct the meanings that teachers and students attribute to Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE). Teachers and students from the last three years of a secondary school in a town in the province of La Pampa (Argentina) participated. As data collection instruments, we implemented individual interviews with teachers and students of two orientations: Agrarian and Economics. For data analysis we used the Analytical Induction method. Through their stories, the teachers maintain that in their time as high school students they did not have sex education (more than sporadic sessions with health professionals) and that the approach was merely biologist, leaving out other aspects of sexuality. For their part, the students recognize that throughout their journey they have had a constant CSE, they mention that on certain occasions its application was more significant than on others and they also recognize that the biologist approach continues to prevail. In addition to the testimonies, the presence of a discourse that reproduces a bio-medical approach emerges, however, a gender perspective appears, and it is mentioned as a possible builder of new meanings to address sexuality. Teachers emphasize difficulties due to the lack of training. In this aspect, the students recognize the effort of the teachers and raise the need for more qualified trainers so that the teaching and learning process about sexuality is truly meaningful.