Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius

The importance of school-based Sexuality Education (SE) programs is widely recognized. Effective implementation of such programs require that due consideration be given to sociocultural factors that can constitute enablers and potential barriers. Numerous research studies on these aspects have been...

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Main Authors: Wajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus, Brinda Oogarah-Pratap
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ÜNİVERSİTEPARK Limited 2019-10-01
Series:Educational Process: International Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_163/EDUPIJ_163_article_5da737c09a036.pdf
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author Wajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus
Brinda Oogarah-Pratap
author_facet Wajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus
Brinda Oogarah-Pratap
author_sort Wajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus
collection DOAJ
description The importance of school-based Sexuality Education (SE) programs is widely recognized. Effective implementation of such programs require that due consideration be given to sociocultural factors that can constitute enablers and potential barriers. Numerous research studies on these aspects have been conducted in developed countries. However, there is a lack of such studies in developing countries, especially studies involving school-aged adolescents from a multicultural context and from socioeconomically deprived areas. Therefore, this small-scale study uses a qualitative approach to research conducted in Mauritius, a developing country with a significantly multicultural population, and where SE is addressed in a fragmented manner within the school curriculum, despite changes noted in the sexual behaviors of the country’s adolescents. The aim of the study was to explore parents’ and teachers’ perspectives of sociocultural factors that can act as enabling factors or potential barriers. The study involved semi-structured interviews of two parents and two teachers selected through purposive sampling at a secondary school which has students from diverse cultural backgrounds and mostly from socioeconomically deprived areas. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the enabling factors were perceived as the importance of school-based SE by parents and teachers, contribution of external organizations, and a two-way communication process with adolescents. The potential barriers were perceived as a resistance from some teachers and students, the gender of the parent, and religion. Generation gap and ICT were found to be both enablers and barriers. The findings have implications for the design and implementation of school-based SE within a multicultural context and pave the way for similar studies on a larger scale.
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spelling doaj.art-7d5e24c12ed04f6ab666fc2320c2e11f2023-02-15T16:07:14ZengÜNİVERSİTEPARK LimitedEducational Process: International Journal2147-09012147-09012019-10-018318519510.22521/edupij.2019.83.3Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in MauritiusWajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus Brinda Oogarah-PratapThe importance of school-based Sexuality Education (SE) programs is widely recognized. Effective implementation of such programs require that due consideration be given to sociocultural factors that can constitute enablers and potential barriers. Numerous research studies on these aspects have been conducted in developed countries. However, there is a lack of such studies in developing countries, especially studies involving school-aged adolescents from a multicultural context and from socioeconomically deprived areas. Therefore, this small-scale study uses a qualitative approach to research conducted in Mauritius, a developing country with a significantly multicultural population, and where SE is addressed in a fragmented manner within the school curriculum, despite changes noted in the sexual behaviors of the country’s adolescents. The aim of the study was to explore parents’ and teachers’ perspectives of sociocultural factors that can act as enabling factors or potential barriers. The study involved semi-structured interviews of two parents and two teachers selected through purposive sampling at a secondary school which has students from diverse cultural backgrounds and mostly from socioeconomically deprived areas. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the enabling factors were perceived as the importance of school-based SE by parents and teachers, contribution of external organizations, and a two-way communication process with adolescents. The potential barriers were perceived as a resistance from some teachers and students, the gender of the parent, and religion. Generation gap and ICT were found to be both enablers and barriers. The findings have implications for the design and implementation of school-based SE within a multicultural context and pave the way for similar studies on a larger scale.http://edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_163/EDUPIJ_163_article_5da737c09a036.pdfschool-based sexuality educationadolescentsmulticulturalenablersbarriers
spellingShingle Wajiihah Banu Shah Emambokus
Brinda Oogarah-Pratap
Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
Educational Process: International Journal
school-based sexuality education
adolescents
multicultural
enablers
barriers
title Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
title_full Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
title_fullStr Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
title_short Exploring Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives about School-Based Sexuality Education in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study in Mauritius
title_sort exploring parents and teachers perspectives about school based sexuality education in a multicultural context a case study in mauritius
topic school-based sexuality education
adolescents
multicultural
enablers
barriers
url http://edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_163/EDUPIJ_163_article_5da737c09a036.pdf
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