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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/537 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Buckley-Willemse, Beverley |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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