Sexuality education delivery in Australian regional secondary schools: A qualitative case study

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p> Factors affecting the delivery of sexuality education to school students include government policy, school leadership and teacher confidence. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Objective:</jats:title><jats:p> The aim of this paper was to understand, from the perspective of regional education, health and welfare sector professionals, what is needed to support good sexual health for secondary school students. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods:</jats:title><jats:p> A qualitative study that took place in ‘Fairview’, a regional location in Victoria, Australia. Five focus groups, totalling 37 participants, were conducted in 2015. An inductive analysis was used to identify key themes. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Findings:</jats:title><jats:p> The main theme was the inconsistent presence and delivery of sexuality education curriculum in Fairview schools. This was attributed to factors such as perceived lack of commitment at government level to sexuality education, lack of importance in comparison with other subjects and variation in inclusion across year levels. Teachers and the delivery of sexuality education and the role of school leadership in supporting sexuality education were the two sub-themes present within the broader narrative. Teacher capacity to deliver sexuality education was ascribed to lack of training. Perceptions concerning the use of external providers to deliver sexuality education differed, as did opinions about the role of school leadership in supporting sexuality education. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p> Sexuality education in schools could be improved through clearer government policy direction. This would signal the importance of sexuality education to school leaders and, if supported via resources such as training for teachers, could assist in achieving the aim of improving students’ sexual health and well-being. </jats:p></jats:sec>