College Students' Experiences in Abstinence-Only Sex Education: A Qualitative Exploration 公开
Gardner, Emily Abigail (2011)
Abstract
In the United States, one-third or more of all public school
districts have abstinence-only sex
education as the sexuality curriculum of choice. These curricula
are guided by principles
stressing the importance of abstinence before marriage for
adolescents. While many evaluations
have examined students' changes in attitudes and intentions toward
abstinence as a result of
these curricula, and failed to find differences in sexual behavior,
it is important to explore more
of what the lessons of abstinence-only have truly meant in
students' lives. This study explores
abstinence-only sex education as a site of cultural control between
competing groups and an
experience negotiated by a large number of young people across the
United States. Fifteen
college students from Emory University and Georgia State University
were interviewed to
provide self-reflective commentaries on the experience of
abstinence-only sex education in their
lives as young people. The interviews explored the real-life value
of the abstinence-only
instruction and other sources of sex and relationship information,
students' approaches to several
ideological topics of concern identified by critics of the
abstinence-only model (e.g. virginity and
marriage), and students' descriptions of the "ideal" sex education
that they wish they could have
had when they were younger. The interviews were transcribed and
analyzed with qualitative text
analysis software. Emerging patterns suggest that students felt
abstinence-only sex education to
be of mixed value, with low overall impact but several memorable
features, both positive and
negative. Many narratives emerged of personally and socially
varying definitions and
negotiations of concepts like abstinence, virginity, and marriage,
rather than a simple acceptance
of the ideas typically presented in abstinence-only sex education
curricula. A clearer picture of
the "ideal" sex education emerged, with strong support for
sex-positive, inclusive,
comprehensive curricula. Future endeavors in research and policy
should seek to expand the role
and voice of young people in determining the future of sex
education, to keep it relevant to their
personal, cultural, and sexual health needs and desires.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction and
Context………………………………………………………………......................................1
Why Sex
Education?............................................................................................................1
The Sociology of Sex Education: Sexual Ideology, the Culture Wars,
and Cultural
Control……………………………………………………………………………….........................................................3
I. Sexual
Ideologies…………..…………………………………………………...........................................3
II. Ideology and School-Based Sex
Education………………………………...........................……….8
III. The Culture Wars and the Sociology of
Education……………………...........................…....11
Chapter 2:
Background……………………………………………………………….……….….............................................13
Abstinence-Only Sex Education: History and Federal
Involvement…………………….......................13
Abstinence-Only: Problems of
Content………………………………………………….....................................18
Abstinence-Only: What Are the
Results?...............................................................................23
Results Continued: Attitudes and
Intentions…………………………………………….................................25
Chapter 3:
Methods………………………………………………………………………................................................………26
The Researcher's Interest and Position: Experience and
Reality………………….......................……..26
Design and Purpose of the
Study……………………………………………………...........................................29
Research
Methods……………………………………………………………………..............................................…..30
The Interview and Analysis
Process……………………………………………......................................………..31
Chapter 4: Findings and
Discussion………………………………………………………….........................................…..35
First Inquiry: Identifying and Evaluating Abstinence-Only, Its
Importance, and Other
Sources of
Information………………………………………………………………............................................…..35
Sources of Sex and Relationship
Information…………………....................………………………...41
Second Inquiry: Exploration of Several Topics of
Concern………………............................……………..45
Topic 1:
Abstinence……………………………………………………………...........................................45
Topic 2: Virginity Pledges and the Idea of
Virginity/Non-virginity……....................………48
Topic 3: Gender Roles/Sex
Differences………………………………………...................................52
Topic 4: Non-heterosexual
Sexualities………………………………………….................................56
Topic 5:
Marriage………………………………………………………...........................................……….57
Third Inquiry: Evaluating Abstinence-Only Sex Education, and
Creating the Ideal Sex
Education……………………………………………………………………………....................................................…...60
Creating the Ideal Sex
Education……………………………………................................…………...68
Chapter 5:
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………................................................……73
References……………………………………………………………………………………….......................................................78
Appendix
1……………………………………………………………………………….....................................................……….83
Appendix
2……………………………………………………………………………….....................................................……….84
Tables
Table 1: A-H Definition of Abstinence
Education…………………………………....................................……………16
Table 2: Respondent
Characteristics………………………………………………………........................................…….32
Table 3: Respondents' Sex Education Course
Characteristics………………………............................…………..35
Table 4: Respondents' Sources of Information about Sex
and
Relationships…………............................………...41
Table 5: Summary of
Findings………………………………………………………...........................…………..71
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