A Systematic Review of the Provision of Sexuality Education to Student Teachers in Initial Teacher Education

Abstract

Teachers, and their professional learning and development, have been identified as playing an integral role in enabling children and young people’s right to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). The provision of sexuality education (SE) during initial teacher education (ITE) is upheld internationally, as playing a crucial role in relation to the implementation and quality of school-based SE. This systematic review reports on empirical studies published in English from 1990 to 2019. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, five databases were searched: ERIC, Education Research Complete, PsycINFO, Web of Science and MEDLINE. From a possible 1,153 titles and abstracts identified, 15 papers were selected for review. Findings are reported in relation to the WHO Regional Office for Europe and BZgA (2017)Training Matters: Framework of core competencies for sexuality educators. Results revealed that research on SE during ITE is limited and minimal research has focused on student teachers’ attitudes on SE. Findings indicate that SE provision received is varied and not reflective of comprehensive SE. Recommendations highlight the need for robust research to inform quality teacher professional development practices to support teachers to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to teach comprehensive SE.

Dokumentarische Forschung zu schulischem Unterricht. Relationierungen und Perspektiven

“…Effective sexuality education programs should include questioning gender roles and gender stereotypes (Pound et al 2017). To achieve success, sexuality education programs must have a culturally-sensitive, sex-positive, and non-judgmental stance that provides students with opportunities to engage in discussions (Costello et al 2022;Goldfarb & Lieberman 2021). Sexuality educators who exhibit judgemental attitudes and are too shy to initiate discussions about sex-related topics may be considered unqualified to teach sexuality education programs (Pound et al 2017).…”

“…Therefore, the professional development of sexuality educators plays a significant role in the successful delivery of the program and students' knowledge acquisition (Walker et al 2021;Murray et al 2019;Ketting & Ivanova 2018). However, training programs that aim to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and techniques may be insufficient to address gender issues in the broader context of society (Costello et al 2022).…”

The possibilities and potential of a pedagogical partnership between university and community-based initial teacher educators for LGBTQ+ specific inclusion and diversity

“…Therefore, featuring LGBTQ+ inclusive education (cf. Fahie et al, 2020) in ITE is a crucial consideration and other comprehensive national research indicates that further consideration of sexuality education is especially warranted in ITE (Maunsell et al, 2021;Costello et al, 2022).…”