Adolescent School-Based Sexual Health Education and Training: A Literature Review on Teaching and Learning Strategies

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this review is to gain an understanding of the teaching approaches used and their effectiveness in imparting sexual health literacy amongst school adolescents. The intention is to design interventions for effective sexual health education in our study setting. Methods:We reviewed various literature related to adolescent sexual health education studies that have been conducted by prior researchers. We also provide an overview of the teaching and learning methods used.Results: Through this literature review, we learned that GBL and gamification were carried out primarily in developed countries, outside of Africa. It has been observed that both GBL and Gamification are effective and efficient in the transformation of knowledge, as they influence students' learning processes through engagement, enjoyment, excitement, attractiveness, and participation. They also foster critical thinking skills, improve confidence, increase motivation, and stimulate a habit of self-regulatory learning among students. Conclusions:Ensuring the impartation of sexual health knowledge can also be achieved by designing and applying effective innovation teaching methods that appeal to today's youth, such as GBL and Gamification. We will design GBL and Gamification methods and evaluate their effectiveness amongst Africans students, specifically among Tanzanian school adolescents.

Initial Validation of the MAKE Framework: A Comprehensive Instrument for Evaluating the Efficacy of Game-Based Learning and Gamification in Adolescent Sexual Health Literacy

“…into non-gaming context for the purpose of engaging, motivating, promoting to learn, and solving a certain problem. Even prior research suggested gamification could be applicable in sexual health education among adolescents [22]. This study employed different game elements readily added on the Moodle platform.…”

Improving Sexual Health Education Programs for Adolescent Students through Game-Based Learning and Gamification

“…Despite the various sexual health educational initiatives, the delivery and implementation of sexual health education is still controversial in resource-limited settings. Irresponsible adolescent sexual health behaviour and the resultant adverse health effects are on the rise in developing countries [ 9 , 13 , 14 ]. The inadequate comprehensive adolescents’ sexual well-being knowledge and skills make them more likely to engage in unhealthy sexual behavior [ 15 ].…”

“…The inadequate implementation of sexual health education in school is due to various factors, including social and cultural attitudes that do not allow open discussion and teachers’ resistance to teaching sexual health matters [ 14 ]. Furthermore, the existing, widely employed traditional teaching methods do not support the effective delivery of sexual health education [ 13 , 18 ]. Adequately accessible sexual health education could help to protect adolescents.…”

“…Adolescents are currently exposed to the digital games environment, and thus the majority of them are familiar with and able to play games for enjoyment and fun [ 24 , 25 ]. Thus, for sexual health matters, games can be an easier and more motivating method of educating [ 21 , 26 ] than traditional teaching methods [ 13 ]. They offer opportunities for promoting safer sexual behaviour through a personalized learning environment, which can deliver potential messages [ 27 ] through relevant storylines, role-playing, and avatars.…”

“…Apart from enjoyment while learning, the use of games for sexual health education has been reported to reinforce adolescents’ healthy sexual decision-making and to refrain from engaging in risky sexual behaviour [ 28 ]. This teaching approach has previously been shown to transfer sexual health knowledge and transform problem-solving skills into making informed decisions regarding sexual health matters [ 13 ].…”