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 questionnaire405 respondents Age range 18 to 30 years (mode = 19)49% male89.3% sexually active Age of sexual debut = 17 years74% practised safer sex the last time89% 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 intercourse136 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 confidence3.Negative consequences – STIs

and pregnancy prevention4.Information and sex education5.Outside educators6.Relationships

Answer all our questions

How to have sex

successfully

Tell us everything -

honestly

Real life stories

School students’ ideas to improve

RSE

Start at a younger age

Facts and figures

Let us practice -put condoms on bananas

Not delivered

by a teacher

How do you know if you are in love?

Show all the different

types of contraception

Quizzes

Discussions

Role plays

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

Workshops inschools

issuecards

data onperceptionsof condom

use

Questionnaires

Literature review

datasexual

practices

all issue cardsonly positive

issues

salientissue

selection

WEBS Schema

Workshops in newschools

WEBS

Workshops withteachers

Workshops withexpert groups tocreate overview

WEBS

WEBS

own issuecards

data ondifferentissuescards WEBS

data onlearning

outcomesPhase 2.3

data onteachingmethods

data onhow toteach

learningoutcomes

data onhow

teacherswill usemethods

Phase 1

Phase 2.1

Phase 2.2

Phase 3

Workshops in returnschool

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Flowchart of the research process

Summary

Prototypal imagesYounger 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 RSEValue of the PRP as a methodologyNew toolTeachers’ 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