Attitudes toward Sex Education on Children - Literature review Example

Attitudes toward Sex Education on Children Literature Review Sex Education The main aim towards sex education is to raise awareness not only among the adults but also among children. According to Magoon (2009), academic knowledge gained in the school helps in building a strong perception in the students. The learning of sex education from the early age will help in creating a better society with enriched awareness. Raising awareness among the children about sex will further assist them to understand their role and responsibility according to their respective gender in the future (Student Health Service Department of Health, 2010). Sex education in schools assists in developing the cognition of children. Importance of Sex education Sex education not only helps children to acquire knowledge but also helps in creating a set of values regarding respecting the opposite gender. Sex education provided at an early age will lay the foundation stone of developments of a child as an adult. Sex education not only raises awareness among children but also assists in preparing a child to face the changes they face in different stages of human body. The change is regarding the sexual development, body images as well as affection towards others. According to State of New South Wales through the Department of Education and Communities (2011), providing sex education at early age helps in free flow of communication between parents and children regarding any physiological issues. A proper sex education has the potential to reduce the risks related to the negative effects of sexual behaviour and so contributes in reducing risk related to HIV AIDS and other health issues. It not only contributes in improving the quality of relationship but also helps the young to enjoy their sexuality (AVERT, 2014). Attitude of parents towards sex education Communication between parents and child is a matter of great concern because they can encourage children to know about the differences between genders and this will further help in better understanding of their role as a responsible individual of the society (Pick & Palos, n.d.). Parents are the first source of education for every child and so they should take the effort towards raising awareness about the need of sex education. According to Sieswerda & Blekkenhorst (2003), sex education should not be limited to conversation between child and parent but it also involves analysis of behaviour and interaction between them as well as other adult members. Many young people want their parents to be the source of information regarding sexual health issues but according to Sieswerda & Blekkenhorst (2003), parents are reserved towards any kind of discussion related to sex education at a younger age. It is also observed that parents find it very difficult to communicate even when the child has grown because of lack of communication. It is the responsibility of both the father and mother to deliver proper knowledge about the differences between two genders but in most of the cases it has been found that female alone are involved in open conversation with their child (Sieswerda & Blekkenhorst , 2003). However, according to Makol-Abdul, Nurullah, Imam & Rahman (2009) sex education at school level is still a matter of debate because in some religious community as Muslims consider that such education at elementary level can prove to be harmful for children. It is however, believed that parents share a comfort level with their child hence the knowledge sharing becomes effective. Attitude of parents towards children’s sex education A proper sex education is essential for adolescents as it guides them to choose a positive way and right information necessary so that they can avoid worries and tensions related to physical issues. According to Toor (2012), children should have a healthy attitude towards sex education because it gives them scientific knowledge and helps in becoming a responsible citizen. It not only makes them aware about various problems individuals face related to the health issue but also raises support in creating awareness about various social issues like gender discrimination, child marriage and many more. Sex education helps children to develop a positive attitude towards various sex related problems and a better understanding that has a positive impact on various relations that an individual maintains in a society (Toor, 2012). The World Health Organization (WHO) states that sex education is a part of life, which influences the feeling of an individual and affects the level of interaction between parents and child. Department of Health, Western Australia (2010) has analysed that parents play a crucial role to approach their children and discuss factors, which has an impact on their relationship. It is a fact that attitude towards sex education is not the same hence various arguments regarding sex education are made. Sex Education in School The educational centres or schools play an essential role in raising awareness about sex education among children. According to Ministry of Education (2015), sex education is described as a process that involves acquiring knowledge and helps in framing attitude and beliefs towards gender differences and human sexuality. Such education helps to develop better understanding towards social, emotional and physical changes that each child experiences with their growing age. This education may further support an individual to take essential decisions regarding various health issues faced by them as they grow as an adult. Apart from the attitude of school towards providing knowledge it, is also the responsibility of the teachers to provide accurate information to the children. According to Mkumbo (2012), teachers’ attitude and perception also influences the type of education provided by the schools. The willingness of a teacher to teach about sexual issues in school has to be positive so that the students are provided with accurate information. It has been argued that teachers of many countries support sex education yet they face obstacles in delivering proper knowledge to the children. In this regard, Mkumbo (2012) findings states that in many cases the teachers face problems in discussing various issues with children like abortion, contraception and others due to their age. It was also observed that teachers explain them aspects related to biological issues but it become difficult for them to teach psychological aspects of sexuality. Furthermore, it becomes hard for the teaching members to deal with various opinions of the young’s related to relations and their hopes and concern for it. Moreover, Mkumbo (2012) also connotes the fact that teachers in many cases are not able to get sufficient support from their colleagues and this act as an obstacle in the path of promoting sex education for the betterment of the society. It has also been analysed that training provided to the teachers is not sufficient with respect to teaching sex related issues in schools. Therefore, according to Mkumbo (2012) in such case there is a need to provide special training to the teachers so that they can handle the topic in classroom effectively. Apart from this, it has also been observed that the lack of policies of the school authorities also prevents the teachers from participating in sex education programmes. Therefore, development of clear policies may be helpful for the schools and teachers to promote sex education and to raise awareness among the children regarding various issues linked with it. It is important to state that sex education will affect the lifestyle and the behaviour of children towards others and give rise to mutual respect. Impact of Sex education The implementation of sex education in schools and equal support from the parents is likely to have a positive impact on the growth of a child. According to Avachat , Phalke & Phalke (2011) children should be aware of the various problems of adolescents and the risk involved in having unprotected sex. However, in many developing countries yet the concept of sex education in schools has not given much importance especially by the people residing in the rural areas. The lack of education among the family members also hinders the path of sex education in educational institutes. The needs for sex education are increasing because people are to be made aware about the use of contraceptives so that the individuals can have safe physical relations with their partners. People can be made more aware about the health related issues if they are provided education at the early stages of life that can be possible if the schools take the responsibility of imparting scientific knowledge related to sex (Avachat , Phalke, & Phalke, 2011). According to Irvine (2004) and Gordon(n.d.), educating children in school help in acquiring knowledge and value that can be further utilised by them when they grow as adult to make responsible decisions related to social relationships. Apart from this providing sexual education at an early age of life, make them aware about sexual abuse that children may face in their daily life. In other words, it can be said that sex education is likely to reduce the number of incidents related to sex abuse. It has been analysed that apart from the knowledge developed by the parent’s the educational centres also plays an essential role in delivering accurate information related to sexual life. According to United States Agency for International Development (2013), school based sex education also assist in reducing HIV related risks as individuals become more aware about it since early stage of life. Furthermore, it was also analysed by the Agency that sex education at school level prove to be more cost effective in preventing HIV. However, arguments were also made that just the implementation of sex education cannot avoid diseases linked to the issues because many young individuals belonging to rural areas do not attend classes. According to Olubayo-Fatiregun (2012), positive attitude towards sex education can be developed if parents are aware about the importance of the issue. For this purpose, mass media and various workshops are likely to develop interests among the parents that may further help to promote sex education in various educational centres. Government should also play an active role by implementing compulsory course related to reproductive issues and various facts that are interlinked (Olubayo-Fatiregun , 2012). References Avachat, S. S., Phalke, D. B., & Phalke, V. D. (2011). Impact of sex education on knowledge and attitude of adolescent school children of loni village. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22666937 AVERT. (2014). Sex education that works. Retrieved from http://www.avert.org/sex-education-works.htm Department of Health, Western Australia .(2010). Parents and Sex Education. Retrieved from http://www.public.health.wa.gov.au/cproot/3344/2/final%20print%20version%20sexual%20health%20education%20and%20parents%20short%20report%20.pdf Gordon, P. (n.d.). Sexuality education and the prevention of sexual violence. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/children/1in5/Source/PublicationSexualViolence/Gordon.pdf Irvine, J.M. (2004). Talk about Sex: The Battles Over Sex Education in the United States. US: University of California Press. Makol-Abdul, P.R., Nurullah, A.S., Imam, S.S., & Rahman, S. A. (2009). Parents’ attitudes towards inclusion of sexuality education in Malaysian schools. International Journal about Parents in Education, 3(1), 42-56. Ministry of Education. (2015). Sexuality education. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/social-emotional-learning/sexuality-education/ Magoon, K. (2009). Sex Education in Schools. UK: ABDO. Olubayo-Fatiregun, M.A. (2012). The parental attitude towards adolescent sexual behaviour in akoko-edo and estako-west local government areas, edo state, Nigeria. World Journal of Education, 2(6), 24-31. Pick & Palos. (n.d). Impact of the family on the sex lives of adolescants. Retrieved from http://lacasadelcolchon.com.mx/app/webroot/pdfs/Impact%20of%20the%20Family%20(Adolescence).pdf Student Health Service Department of Health. (2010). The Objectives and Importance of Sex Education. Retrieved from http://www.studenthealth.gov.hk/english/resources/resources_bl/files/lf_se_fse.pdf State of New South Wales through the Department of Education and Communities. (2011). Why is it important to teach about sexuality? Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/growth/sexed004.htm Sieswerda, L.E. & Blekkenhorst, P. (2003). Parental Attitudes towards Sex Education in the Home. Retrieved from http://www.tbdhu.com/NR/rdonlyres/B4BAE77F-AA01-4C1F-9BEF-7FE274D5C32A/0/ParentalAttitudesTowardsSexEducation.pdf Toor, K.K. (2012). A study of the attitude of teachers, parents and adolescentstowards sex education. MIER Journal of Educational Studies, 2(2), 177-189 United States Agency for International Development (2013). School-based sex education. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/research-to-prevention/publications/sex-ed-factsheet.pdf Read More