Presentation by: Dr. Siobhán O’Higgins
Presentation Title: Rules of Engagement: What we want to
know. Giving young people a voice in sex education
curriculum development
Aim
To facilitate young Irish people, through the
Participative Research Process (PRP), to
generate, collate and present their views on
effective sex education without adult filtering
or censure.
The Participative Research Process has
power (of children) at its centre
The Participative Research Process is
predicated on the ideals of participative
research – young people are the experts in
their own lives.
The PRP allows us insights into “childhood in
the present tense” (McAuley & Brattman, 2002).
The process
There were 3 phases in the research
Phase 1 and 3 were the shoulders on which
Phase 2 (the main study) rested.
Phase 1
14 item questionnaire
405 respondents
Age range 18 to 30 years (mode = 19)
49% male
89.3% sexually active
Age of sexual debut = 17 years
74% practised safer sex the last time
89% attended third level colleges
Phase 1
Factors affecting condom use:
•information and education
•alcohol and/or drugs
•type of partner
•embarrassment
•prototypal imagery
•influence of parents and/or peers
•negative views about condoms
Phase 2
14 post-primary schools
394 students aged 15-18years (mode =16)
63% female and 37% male
87% under the legal age for sexual intercourse
136 small groups - 53% girls groups, 30%
were boys groups, and 17% mixed groups
Created 58 ‘Webs’
School Institute Name to go
here
School Institute Name to go
here
Themes in the Webs
1.Condoms skills and contraceptive
knowledge
2.Sexual confidence
3.Negative consequences – STIs and
pregnancy prevention
4.Information and sex education
5.Outside educators
6.Relationships
Real life stories
Start at a
younger age
Discussions
Quizzes
Facts and figures
Let us practice put condoms on
bananas
Tell us everything
- honestly
School students’
ideas to improve
RSE
Role
plays
How do you know
if you are in love?
How to have
sex successfully
Not
delivered by
a teacher
Phase 3
What Relationship and Sexuality Education
(RSE) teachers need in order to deliver
students’ ideas:
•more training
•outside facilitators delivering some of the
programme
•clear direction from the Department of
Education and Science about what they are
allowed to teach
Flowchart of the research
process
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Summary
Prototypal images
Younger students don’t situate sexual activity
within the context of relationships.
School students produced and presented
ideas on how to improve the content
and delivery of RSE
Value of the PRP as a methodology
New tool
Teachers’ views
Acknowledgements
All the young people who participated in the
research, their parents and schools
The Office of the Minister for Children and Youth
Affairs
Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn – my supervisor, and
Dr. Jane Sixsmith originators of the Participative
Research Process (PRP)
AIDS West
Siobhán O’Higgins 1st February 2012