This thesis investigates young people's understandings and experiences of 'good sex' and sexual pleasure, documenting the resources young people use to make sense of these meanings in the context of their everyday lives and relationships. The study uses a situated approach to explore the methodological possibilities for researching sexual pleasure with a diverse group of young people in one urban location and to examine the ways in which pleasure is embedded, mediated and gendered in young people's sexual cultures. The research is used to contribute to debates about the inclusion of pleasure in sexual health services for young people and make suggestions for future research/practice. Drawing on data from survey, focus group and interview methods the thesis documents the diversity of young people's understandings of 'good sex' and sexual pleasure, suggesting that young people have access to a range of competing discursive and affective frameworks for making distinctions between what counts as 'good' and 'bad' sex. Analyses suggest that sexual meanings and values are contested and contingent on young people's shifting sex and relationship experiences and social locations. Timeliness and reciprocity emerged as key contested areas, shaped by enduring gender arrangements and participants' evolving sexual biographies. The thesis provides a reflexive account of the practice of researching sexual pleasure with young people, reporting on each method to argue that the findings are situated, shaped by interactive and material context. The research documents the benefits of using critical feminist reflexivity to interrogate how researcher/practitioners can create safe spaces for engaging young people in work around sexual pleasure and concludes that possibilities for realising the 'pleasure project' in practice will depend on local, institutional and political context.

M.Ed. / A great deal of concern is being expressed about the high teenage pregnancy rate as well as the leaping AIDS and sexual disease figures. There are programmes in place which aim to bring these numbers down, but it appears as if neither the abortion rate nor premarital sexual experimentation have been affected. This situation is cause for concern. The question thus arises - why have these programmes not made any headway on the statistics? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that most researchers have not asked the children themselves about their needs with regard to sex education. It is for this reason that this study has been undertaken. In this study a qualitative research method has been followed, where focus group interviews with Standard 7 pupils have been conducted. The original question posed by this researcher was as follows: "What are the needs of Standard 7 pupils with regard to sexual education and what guidelines could be suggested in order to provide a workable pupil-orientated education programme for high schools?" In turn, the posing of the above question led to the following aim: To gauge what the needs of Standard 7 pupils are with regard to sexual education in order to design guidelines for the development of a sex-education programme for high schools. The qualitative research which flowed from this is exploratory, descriptive and contextual. The analysis of the data indicate that there is a need for sexual education in schools, more than is at present available. Pupils would like this subject to be compulsory and that it be taught during stipulated times/periods. There is also a need for a cumulative curriculum in which enough time for discussions is allowed. The children believe that sexual education at school should be presented by a person whom they can trust. Boys and girls differ as to whether this person should be attached to the school or not. The girls are especially critical of the teacher as sex educator. The parent as sex educator has also been criticised. The children would prefer someone out of their peer group to guide them. They also feel that adequate training, openness and neutrality are important characteristics in a sex education specialist. The boys feel that this type of education should not be over-emphasised. Another need expressed is that the sex educator should work from a holistic perspective, thereby putting sex education in a natural context. The requirements with regard to the content of the sexual education programme include the following: knowledge of sexual responsibilities, as well as an understanding of anatomy and physiology, knowledge of the sexual act and premarital sex, as well as an understanding of pregnancy, rape and the way the opposite sex experiences sexuality The children also believe that the way sex is presented in the media should be put into perspective. Knowledge of deviant sexual behaviour, the availability of source material, for example where one would obtain a supply of contraceptives and where to go if one suspects that one is pregnant, are also needs which teenagers expressed with regard to programme content and sex education. From the study it became apparent that, even though the girls maintained that they all receive sex education at home, there are nevertheless many questions which still require addressing. A number of misconceptions were also apparent. Information which is highlighted by these themes and which is furthermore supported by the other research includes aspects such as parent and teacher involvement. A number of guidelines based on the themes identified by the analysis of the focus group interviews, have been developed for exposure and for possible use by compilers of sex education curriculi. A shortfall in this study has been identified and the following recommendations have been suggested: Further research should be undertaken as to the need for sex education o fpupils of other cultures and standards as well as the teachers' views about sex education.

The HIV and AIDS epidemic remains a major health concern among the Namibian population despite interventions to mitigate it. The creation of awareness about the epidemic through school curricula is one of the government’s interventions. However, the provision of Sexuality, HIV and AIDS education in schools today is based on adult ideas of what they feel is right for young people to learn. This leave learners vulnerable and inadequately supported regarding possible questions they may have in this context. With vast amount and variety of conflicting information available to young people regarding their sexuality; and how their sexuality can and should be expressed, some of this information leads them to engage in risky behaviours that exposes them to HIV infection. Hence the need to involve young people in the development of the curriculum, to meet their educational needs in context of sexuality, HIV and AIDS. In this study, evidence for including learners in the construction of educational content regarding sexuality education is sought. This qualitative study used a phenomenological research design, interpretive paradigm and a participatory arts-based research methodology. Drawings, Vignettes (Agony Aunt) and follow-up focus group discussions were used to generate data with junior and senior learners, aged 15-24, from two secondary schools situated in the Oshikoto region of Namibia. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory underpinned and decipher the findings of this study. The findings revealed that the school curriculum has informed learners on Sexuality, HIV and AIDS matters. The data generated about what they want to learn revealed that there is a need for more information on matters of sexuality, HIV and AIDS, which are not provided by the current education system. The data also revealed that the information that young people are exposed to is mostly associated with myths and misconceptions. This study thus recommends that a more comprehensive sexuality education, which takes into account learners’ needs, be provided in order for them to be guided appropriately on issues concerning their sexuality in the context of HIV and AIDS, so that we can move towards as HIV free world.

This dissertation reports on a formative evaluation of a high school sexuality education programme. The evaluation aimed to generate a greater understanding of pupils' attitudes to sexuality and insight into pupils' responses to a sexuality education programme. A qualitative method using focus groups was used. The groups comprised pupils, with programme staff acting as facilitators and observers. The foremost findings were that pupils had considerable understanding of many of the issues which the programme aims to teach them about. Pupils requested that the programme address issues of their concern, including lifeskills development. They expressed dislike of lectures, and requested the use of small group discussions. They also expressed the need for individual counselling under circumstances where the pupils could develop a trusting relationship with the counsellor. Pupils expressed difficulty communicating with their parents about sexuality, and distrust for their teachers in the role of counsellors or educators in this field. In conclusion, the evaluation yielded much information of potential use in development of the sexuality education programme, and recommendations are put forward. By basing a Family Planning Advisor at each school the pupils needs could be better addressed. Such an arrangement would allow the advisor to encourage parents and the wider community to participate in the programme. This type of broad approach appears to be a prerequisite for success in this field.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to determine what the schools are doing in the field of sex education. As the field of inquiry is great and the subject matter is one of importance, this study is limited to the elementary schools within the state of California, It is felt that through a study of this nature, one can ascertain what is or what is not being done, and whether the public schools of California are doing their part in this problem in which they are playing and ever increasing role.

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Sex education during childhood and adolescence is much more than a "birds and bees" discussion between a mother and a daughter or a seventh-grade science unit on human reproduction. It is, rather, a pervasive experience involving children's everyday interactions with friends, family, and their wider social environments. Elizabeth Roberts (1980) has developed a framework for understanding sexuality that emphasizes the broad-based nature of sexual learning. She focuses on six dimensions of sexuality which are socially learned: gender role, affection and intimacy, family roles and social life styles, body image, erotic experiences, and reproduction. The role of the family in each area of sexual learning is discussed in the following section. However, it must be recognized that families are not separate from, but rather are a part of a wider social, cultural, economic, and political environment. Their attitudes, beliefs, and values are shaped by that wider environment.

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