The present study examined the state of healthy sexuality among college students and the influence of a psychoeducational group on related constructs. Healthy sexuality is comprised of multiple constructs, including accurate knowledge, positive attitudes, risk reducing behaviors, open communication among partners, and self-efficacy for creating desired experiences and preventing unwanted experiences. Sexuality-related knowledge, attitudes and values, and behaviors were measured prior to and following the four-session intervention. Additionally, prior sexuality education at the familial and school-based levels was assessed and compared to the designed intervention. Fifty-six young adults participated in the groups, with topics covering sexual anatomy and response, communication, safer sex practices, and preventing unwanted experiences. Assessment prior to the designed intervention exemplified the wide variety of educational experiences and sources that young adults have, contributing to great variation in sexual knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy. Participants reported varying levels of satisfaction with their sexuality education prior to the intervention, but satisfaction was unrelated to knowledge accuracy. Attitudes, values, and behaviors were similar to national samples. Assessment following the intervention demonstrated significant improvement in many of these areas, indicating that college students are likely to benefit from continued sexuality education. The level of interest for participation in the study indicates young people's interest in increasing healthy sexuality in their lives. It is hoped that the designed intervention may continue to be made available to young adults and tailored to meet their needs and desires as appropriate.

The present study examined the state of healthy sexuality among college students and the influence of a psychoeducational group on related constructs. Healthy sexuality is comprised of multiple constructs, including accurate knowledge, positive attitudes, risk reducing behaviors, open communication among partners, and self-efficacy for creating desired experiences and preventing unwanted experiences. Sexuality-related knowledge, attitudes and values, and behaviors were measured prior to and following the four-session intervention. Additionally, prior sexuality education at the familial and school-based levels was assessed and compared to the designed intervention. Fifty-six young adults participated in the groups, with topics covering sexual anatomy and response, communication, safer sex practices, and preventing unwanted experiences. Assessment prior to the designed intervention exemplified the wide variety of educational experiences and sources that young adults have, contributing to great variation in sexual knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy. Participants reported varying levels of satisfaction with their sexuality education prior to the intervention, but satisfaction was unrelated to knowledge accuracy. Attitudes, values, and behaviors were similar to national samples. Assessment following the intervention demonstrated significant improvement in many of these areas, indicating that college students are likely to benefit from continued sexuality education. The level of interest for participation in the study indicates young people's interest in increasing healthy sexuality in their lives. It is hoped that the designed intervention may continue to be made available to young adults and tailored to meet their needs and desires as appropriate.

Sexuality education has been introduced into the South African syllabus, on a very elementary level, in the Life Orientation learning area of Outcomes- Based Education widely known as Curriculum 2005. Unfortunately outcomes based education ends in Grade 9, leaving learners from Grade 10 -12 with the old syllabus that includes academic subjects only. Very few schools follow a sexuality education programme in Grades 10 - 12 on their own initiative, because it is not compulsory in these grades. The Health Promoting Schools' policies do not include a comprehensive sexuality education programme outline as yet, but when the life-skills approach that is taught in Life Orientation is considered, many similarities in these approaches are identified. Therefore, sexuality education should not be purely factual, but should be taught in conjunction with important life-skills. The two skills investigated in this study are the ability for adolescents to identify and avoid risk behaviour and to be able to make more responsible decisions. Two schools in the Bronkhorstspruit area were identified to take part in this project. School A has implemented a comprehensive sexuality education programme for all its learners and School B has not. The results of the data collected from the questionnaire completed by 100 respondents from the two schools indicated that those from School A had a significantly higher level of knowledge regarding sexuality and appeared to have far better life-skills than the respondents from School B. There was, however, no indication that that this knowledge affected their behaviour in any way. This doesn't mean, though, that the programme has been unsuccessful because the programme doesn't only teach abstinence, but also various methods of precaution. The long-term effect of comprehensive sexuality education has not yet been established because there are so few schools implementing it the way it should be and it is currently not implemented at a young enough age. Unhealthy behaviour patterns, reinforced by years of traditions and taboos, as well as the contradicting information given through the media, cannot be changed overnight. The process of intensive comprehensive sexuality education has only started in South Africa and, with time, a change in the behaviour patterns of adolescents and adults is anticipated. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Sexuality education has been introduced into the South African syllabus, on a very elementary level, in the Life Orientation learning area of Outcomes- Based Education widely known as Curriculum 2005. Unfortunately outcomes based education ends in Grade 9, leaving learners from Grade 10 -12 with the old syllabus that includes academic subjects only. Very few schools follow a sexuality education programme in Grades 10 - 12 on their own initiative, because it is not compulsory in these grades. The Health Promoting Schools' policies do not include a comprehensive sexuality education programme outline as yet, but when the life-skills approach that is taught in Life Orientation is considered, many similarities in these approaches are identified. Therefore, sexuality education should not be purely factual, but should be taught in conjunction with important life-skills. The two skills investigated in this study are the ability for adolescents to identify and avoid risk behaviour and to be able to make more responsible decisions. Two schools in the Bronkhorstspruit area were identified to take part in this project. School A has implemented a comprehensive sexuality education programme for all its learners and School B has not. The results of the data collected from the questionnaire completed by 100 respondents from the two schools indicated that those from School A had a significantly higher level of knowledge regarding sexuality and appeared to have far better life-skills than the respondents from School B. There was, however, no indication that that this knowledge affected their behaviour in any way. This doesn't mean, though, that the programme has been unsuccessful because the programme doesn't only teach abstinence, but also various methods of precaution. The long-term effect of comprehensive sexuality education has not yet been established because there are so few schools implementing it the way it should be and it is currently not implemented at a young enough age. Unhealthy behaviour patterns, reinforced by years of traditions and taboos, as well as the contradicting information given through the media, cannot be changed overnight. The process of intensive comprehensive sexuality education has only started in South Africa and, with time, a change in the behaviour patterns of adolescents and adults is anticipated. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

O objetivo desta pesquisa de doutorado é compreender as trajetórias de autoidentificação de indivíduos assexuais, com destaque para suas interações sociais na escola durante os anos da educação básica. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de caráter exploratório, de natureza qualitativa e de perspectiva sociológica, que se insere nos estudos de diversidade sexual no âmbito escolar, sob a ótica de gênero. A assexualidade é compreendida, neste trabalho, como forma de viver a sexualidade caracterizada pelo desinteresse pela prática sexual, que pode ou não ser acompanhado pelo desinteresse por relacionamentos amorosos. O desinteresse sexual/amoroso - construído social, histórica e culturalmente como transtorno psicológico ou fisiológico - tem sido ressignificado, a partir do início do século XXI, como forma distinta e legítima de sexualidade, situada no espectro mais amplo da diversidade sexual. A emergência de comunidades assexuais virtuais, com vários graus de mobilização em diferentes países inclusive no Brasil - tem dado visibilidade a esta categoria e contribuído para fomentar a discussão e os estudos sobre a assexualidade. Para esta pesquisa, foram entrevistadas 40 pessoas autoidentificadas como assexuais - sendo 8 entrevistas presenciais e 32 entrevistas por e-mail -, as quais foram contatadas pelo Blog Assexualidades, ferramenta virtual de pesquisa criada com o objetivo de facilitar a comunicação com comunidades e indivíduos assexuais brasileiros. A análise teve por base a bibliografia construcionista sobre a sexualidade, com destaque para a Teoria dos Scripts Sexuais dos sociólogos norte-americanos John Gagnon e William Simon, bem como a teoria de gênero de Joan Scott, entre outros/as estudiosos/as da sexualidade na perspectiva construcionista. Os resultados da investigação mostram de que modo os scripts sexo-normativos - diretrizes baseadas em normas sociais que estabelecem o interesse sexual/amoroso como universal e a atividade sexual como compulsória nas relações amorosas, presentes nas construções de sexualidade e gênero - permeiam as experiências de autoidentificação dos/as entrevistados/as, sobretudo, em suas interações na internet e com os pares na instituição escolar. Por um lado, as comunidades virtuais e redes sociais têm um peso significativo na afirmação da assexualidade na contemporaneidade, uma vez que o conceito de assexualidade nasceu e tem se propagado na internet, agregando pessoas do mundo todo em torno da identidade assexual. Por outro lado, a escola se revela local imprescindível para a imposição dos padrões de gênero e sexualidade que chancelam scripts hetero e sexo-normativos, porém, muito ausente em relação ao debate sobre as especificidades da assexualidade e pouco presente na mediação das tensões que podem garantir ou violar o reconhecimento da diversidade sexual em suas ações no âmbito da educação em sexualidade. / The purpose of this doctoral research is to understand self-identification trajectories of asexual individuals, giving emphasis to their school experiences and interactions during basic education. This is an exploratory qualitative sociological research, part of school sexual diversity studies, under the perspective of gender. In this research, asexuality is understood as a form of sexuality characterized by the disinterest in sexual activity, which may or may not be accompanied by the lack of interest in romantic relationships. Sexual/romantic disinterest - constructed socially, historically and culturally as a psychological or physiological disorder - has been reinterpreted as of the beginning of the 20th century, as a distinct and legitimate form of sexuality, situated within the broader spectrum of sexual diversity. The emergence of online asexual communities, with varying degrees of mobilization in different countries - including Brazil - has given visibility to this category and has contributed to discussion and research about asexuality. For this research, I interviewed 40 self-identified asexual people 8 face to face interviews and 32 e-mail interviews - who were contacted through Blog Assexualidades, an online research tool created to facilitate communication with Brazilian asexual individuals and communities. The analysis was based on the constructionist literature on sexuality, particularly John Gagnon and William Simons Sexual Script Theory, as well as Joan Scotts gender theory, among other constructionist theorists. Research results show how sexual normative scripts i.e. assumptions based on the universality of sexual/romantic interest and the naturalization of sexual activity in romantic relationships as part of social construction of sexuality and gender - permeate respondents self-identification experiences, particularly in their internet interactions and their peer relations during the school years. On one hand, online communities and social networks play a significant role in the affirmation of asexuality in contemporaneity, taking into consideration the fact that asexuality was created and has expanded on the internet, gathering people from all over the world around an asexual identity. On the other hand, research findings show that the school environment has been essential for the imposition of gender and sexuality standards that legitimate sexual and heteronormative scripts. However, the school institution has been neglectful about the discussion of the specificities of asexuality and has been doing very little to mediate the tensions that can either guarantee or violate the recognition of sexual diversity in sexuality education initiatives.

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-04-03T12:38:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 sylviahelenadossantosrabello.pdf: 11599427 bytes, checksum: 147a15e6adb27d69377ddebf2851d9c4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-04-03T19:38:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 sylviahelenadossantosrabello.pdf: 11599427 bytes, checksum: 147a15e6adb27d69377ddebf2851d9c4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-03T19:38:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 sylviahelenadossantosrabello.pdf: 11599427 bytes, checksum: 147a15e6adb27d69377ddebf2851d9c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-26 / PROQUALI (UFJF) / A presente pesquisa foi empreendida a partir de um curso de Educação em Sexualidade, componente da parte diversificada do currículo escolar do 9º ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública do município de Juiz de Fora – MG, Brasil. Sexualidade e gênero são tomados em seu conceito amplo, entendidos como construções históricas, sociais e culturais. Os objetivos específicos visaram identificar e analisar representações de sexualidade e gênero sustentadas pelos/as alunos/as bem como analisar o conteúdo de sexualidade e gênero presente em pedagogias culturais e sua utilização em contextos de ensino. A metodologia adotada para a coleta dos dados foi de natureza qualitativa, do tipo observação participante, em que a pesquisadora atuou também como professora do curso. A análise dos dados apoiouse na análise de conteúdo das manifestações dos/as alunos/as obtidas a partir das transcrições das aulas, que foram gravadas em áudio. Também foram analisadas produções escritas dos/as alunos/as e artefatos de mídia que abordam temas de sexualidade e gênero. Os resultados indicaram que os/as alunos/as sustentam representações de sexualidade associadas, sobretudo, às práticas sexuais. As relações de gênero foram reconhecidas como desiguais e naturalizadas, mesmo quando as diferenças e desigualdades foram atribuídas a fatores sociais. As discussões em classe, porém, oportunizaram a reflexão a respeito do conceito de sexualidade bem como sobre as relações de gênero, favorecendo a incorporação de novos elementos para sua consideração. As pedagogias culturais, de modo geral, veiculam noções essencialistas e biologizantes a respeito da sexualidade e do gênero, veiculando representações estereotipadas que merecem a problematização em contextos de ensino. As implicações da pesquisa referemse à contribuição para a produção do conhecimento na área, favorecendo o planejamento de estratégias didáticas com vistas a ampliar a noção de sexualidade e gênero dos/as estudantes, abrangendo os aspectos sociais e culturais. / This research was undertaken from a course of Sexuality Education, part of the diversified component of the school curriculum in the 9th grade of elementary school at a public school in the city of Juiz de Fora - MG, Brazil. Sexuality and gender are taken in its broadest dimension, understood as historical, social and cultural constructions. The specific objectives aimed at identifying and analyzing sexuality and gender representations held by students as well as analyzing the content of sexuality and gender in this cultural pedagogies and their use in educational contexts. The qualitative methodology was taken for data collection, like participant observation, in which the researcher also served as a teacher of the course. Data analysis relied on content analysis of the students speech that were obtained from transcripts of classes activities, which were audio-recorded. Students written productions and media artifacts were also analyzed. The results indicated that the students maintain representations of sexuality as sexual practices. Gender relations were recognized as unequal and naturalized, even when differences and inequalities were attributed to social factors. The class discussions, however, allowed the reflection about the concept of sexuality as well as gender relations, promoting the incorporation of new elements for consideration. The cultural pedagogies, in general, present biologizing and essentialist notions about sexuality and gender, conveying stereotypical representations that deserve questioning in teaching contexts. The implications of the research refer to the contribution to the knowledge in the area, favoring the planning of teaching strategies in order to broaden the notion of sexuality and gender of the students, covering social and cultural aspects.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur personal inom elevhälsan förhåller sig till ungdomars tankar och frågor om ämnen relaterade till pornografi. Studien genomfördes via kvalitativa intervjuer med åtta kuratorer och skolsköterskor. Av intervjuerna framkom att det inte fanns någon enhetlig bild över hur arbetet med frågor relaterade till pornografi ska se ut i de aktuella skolorna och att förhållningssättet skilde sig åt mellan informanterna. Däremot beskrevs en pågående förändringsprocess, då informanterna beskrev sitt engagemang för att nå ut och sprida kunskap till ungdomar och andra pedagoger på skolan. Informanterna betonade vikten av att förmedla en nyfikenhet till ungdomars funderingar och arbeta förebyggande med frågor om pornografi, sexualitet, normer och jämställdhet. I resultatet framkom informanternas upplevelse av att ungdomar kan påverkas negativt av pornografikonsumtion eftersom det upplevs ge en skev syn på sexualitet, som bland annat förstärker de stereotypa könsnormer som råder i samhället. / The purpose of the study was to investigate how staff in school health services respond to young people's thoughts and questions on topics related to pornography. The study was conducted through qualitative interviews with eight professional school social workers and school nurses. The main results showed that according to the interviewees there were no general picture of how the work with questions related to pornography should be handled in their schools and the approach differs between professionals. On the other hand, an ongoing process of change was described, as the staff in school health services show a commitment to share their knowledge with the pupils and teachers at the school. The interviewees emphasized in particular the importance of conveying curiosity to the adolescents and to work preventively, with questions about pornography, sexuality, norms and gender equality. The informants' experiences were also that adolescents can be negatively affected by pornography consumption, as it is perceived to give a distorted view of sexuality, which, among other things, reinforces already existing gender stereotypes in the society.

Yes / Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) remains a challenge globally. High school youths without comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) are more likely to engage in high risk sexual behaviors than their peers in schools with CSE. Fiji continues to have very poor adolescents SRH indicators. This study aimed to gauge the perceptions of students towards the delivery of SRH education in schools in Fiji. A qualitative study design was used to collect data from students in year 11-13 in public secondary schools in Suva, Fiji in 2018. Schools with equal ethnic mix were selected. A semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was used to guide Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). A male research facilitator conducted FGD with males while a female research facilitator facilitated that amongst the females. Data collected was analyzed thematically. Seven FGDs were conducted. A total of 46 students (29 males) participated with the age range from 17-19 years old. Eight themes emerged: current SRH education; students' knowledge on adverse consequences of SRH; sources of SRH information; need for sex education; provision of SRH education in schools; characteristics of teachers of SRH education; age-appropriate incremental sex education; and ideal version of SRH. The study shows that Fijian students desired a lot more from sex education than what is currently offered for sexual decision-making. There is a need for mandatory and comprehensive sex education for young people.

A case study design was used to evaluate the National Adolescent-Friendly Clinic Initiative (NAFCI) programme in Greater Tzaneen Sub-District of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. An interview guide was used to collect data from adolescents who visited the health centre at Nkowankowa in Limpopo Province and from professional nurses who provided the services at the health centre. Records were also reviewed to check clinic attendance of adolescents for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), teenage pregnancy and contraceptive services. According to the study, even though most adolescents made use of the NAFCI services especially those providing for contraception, pregnancy and STIs, the numbers of adolescents falling pregnant and contracting STIs did not decrease. Findings also indicated that VCT services were still not adequately used as indicated by the numbers in the registers. It is recommended that VCT, STI and pregnancy services be monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Over the last decade, education-focused research/studies on young queers (or same-sex attracted young people) have highlighted the many problems or difficulties they face growing up in a homophobic, heterosexist society. Strategies to address these issues (proposed in numerous research articles and reports) have largely focused on the school setting. I argue that these strategies are limited by heterosexual norms, which regulate and contain in advance what is possible (for queers) within the formal school system. I examine the ways in which these heterosexual norms work to constrain the queer subject in education-focused research and studies on young queers. / Within this field of study, young queers have largely been characterized as victims: of homophobic abuse and harassment, and neglect by families and schools. They’re said to be lonely and isolated, at risk of attempted suicide, unsafe sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness. I argue that these representations convey a negative portrait of young queers as wounded subjects. I illustrate how the emphasis on the wounded queer subject can work against the interests of young queers. In particular, it obscures those queer perspectives involving agency: first, queer cultures and communities; second, the knowledge and experiences of those who have gained confidence in their queerness, who have queer social and sexual lives. These (agentic) queers can offer us ways of understanding how young queers move beyond isolation and loneliness. / This study highlights the importance, for many young queers, of having opportunities and spaces where they can connect with each other. Socialization and sexualization among young queers involves a certain openness being and doing queer a practice which is unintelligible within most education-focused research/studies on young queers. This is illustrated and explored through comparative analysis of queer subjectivities in two differentiated spheres: on the one hand education-focused research and studies relating to the school context, and on the other gay/lesbian/queer studies and literature relating to queer social and sexual contexts. The key contexts and themes examined here are: early sexual experience and beats, queer cultures and communities, and queer youth support and social groups.