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Key Issues and Challenges

Key Issues and Challenges  Time allocation/status/perception

in Sexuality Education  Professional Development- adequate, available, accessible

 Pre-service teacher education : HPE teachers, primary and early
childhood
 Breadth and focus
 Need for a gender lens- inclusion of gender and sexual diversity,
gender based violence
 inclusion of intimacy, pleasure, desire
 Including respectful relationships education, including the use and
effects of explicit sexual imagery and pornography
Lyn Harrison
 Prevention vs. promotion vs. strengths based approach
Deakin University
 Diversity and affirmation
Australasian Sexual Health Conference  Parental and cultural backlash
2014
 Inclusion of student voice

Pre-service teacher education

Capacity building Current Research
 Sexuality Education Matters
(Ollis, Harrison and Maharaj
2013)

 Voices of sexuality Education

(Melbourne University (CERSH
Kylie Stephens) & Deakin

 Capacity building in schools:

Northern Bay Experience

http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts-
ed/education/teach-research/health-
pe/project/sexuality-education-matters-april-
2013-online.pd

Students' sexual experiences using

Gender based violence new technologies
Question: ‘Have you ever had sex when you didn’t want
to?’ Question: ‘Have you ever experienced or done any of the
following?’
 Approximately one quarter (25%) of sexually active  Sent a sexually explicit written text message 43 %
students reported an experience of unwanted sex.
 Received a sexually explicit written text message 52 %

 Of the students that reported having sex when they

didn’t want to,  Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 26 %
nude photo or video of yourself
 49% cited being too drunk as a reason for their unwanted sex  Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 9%
nude photo or video of someone else
 53% - influenced by their partner
 Received a sexually explicit nude or nearly 42%
 28% being frightened nude photo or video of someone else
Mitchell et al., 2013
Mitchell al., 2014

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Students' sexual experiences using

Students' sexual experiences using new technologies (non-sexually
new technologies (sexually active) active)
Question: ‘Have you ever experienced or done any of the Question: ‘Have you ever experienced or done any of the
following? following?
 Sent a sexually explicit written text message 72 %  Sent a sexually explicit written text message 31 %
 Received a sexually explicit written text message 84 %  Received a sexually explicit written text message 41 %

 Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 50 %  Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 17 %
nude photo or video of yourself nude photo or video of yourself
 Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 17 %  Sent a sexually explicit nude or nearly 5%
nude photo or video of someone else nude photo or video of someone else
 Received a sexually explicit nude or nearly 70 %  Received a sexually explicit nude or nearly 31%
nude photo or video of someone else nude photo or video of someone else

Mitchell et al., 2013 Mitchell et al., 2014

Porn, sexualisation, relationships Approaches to Sexuality

and sexuality education Education
Schools  Prevention
• Adapting Stepping Out -
Southern Teaching Unit.
 Health Promotion
• Pornography education – In
the Picture (Maree Crabbe;
Risk and Responsibility project
)  Strengths based

• Trialed with pre-service

teachers

• Implementation about to
begin in 2 all boys schools in
Victoria

Diversity and Affirmation

Resources Supporting Gender and

Sexual Diversity in Schools
Practice

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Current
Relevance of sexuality/relationship
DEECD resources/curriculum frameworks
education
Question: ‘How relevant did you / do you find sexuality /
relationship classes?’
Extremely relevant 17 %
Very relevant 28 %
Good news 45 %
Somewhat relevant 41 %
Not relevant 7%
Not so good news 48 %
(Not had sexuality/relationship education 7 %)
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingre
sources/health/sexuality/default.htm Mitchell et al., 2013

Future research What works in sexuality education

 Informed by research and theory
Educating young people about
sexuality- young people’s  Holistic integrated programs
voices and agency  Sequential, developmental and well
planned

(Three year ARC Linkage  Engaging & relevant curriculum

funded research project: Bruce  Supported by the whole school
Johnson Uni SA; Lyn Harrison community
and Deb Ollis Deakin and
SHine SA)  Qualified and well trained teachers

Disease orientated –
negative and fearful,
What doesn‘t work in sexuality dominated by a focus
education? on the effects of
unplanned pregnancy,
STIs and sexual assault

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Reductionist – Gender constructs –

Sexuality is seen as a
narrow and
range of sexual and conventional female
biological functions and and male roles. Does
behaviours. Does not not deal with issues
include issues like: of power, gender
 alcohol use construction or
 peer pressure transgender.
 intimacy
 relationships
 desire, pleasure etc.

Ignoring young
people’s use of and
Heterosexism – access to the
the underlying internet and social
assumption is that all media.
students are
heterosexual.