“We’ve got a lack of family values”: an examination of how teachers formulate and justify their SRE approach

ABBOTT, Keeley, ELLIS, Sonja and ABBOTT, Rachel (2016). “We’ve got a lack of family values”: an examination of how teachers formulate and justify their SRE approach. Sex education, 16 (6), 678-691.

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Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2016.1169398

Abstract

Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in England has been the focus of critical scrutiny on several occasions, but there has been little attention paid to how teachers formulate their provision, especially given their crucial role in determining what is taught in the classroom. While current policy suggests that provision should be inclusive of sexual diversity, it simultaneously gives educators the scope to determine the form this takes. This is an important issue given the substantial impact that teachers’ views and discourses have on what is taught. Using a discourse analytical framework, this study sought to examine how teachers of SRE formulate and account for their provision, with a particular focus on how their assumptions about young people’s sexual health needs underpin their actions. Initially, teachers sought to formulate their activities in terms of an overall ethos, providing legitimacy for the key elements of their programme being aligned with official government health promotion strategy, as opposed to other areas such as pleasure and diversity. This was supported by their constructions of young people, particularly young women and individuals from ‘at risk’ communities, as being particularly vulnerable.

Item Type: Article
Research Institute, Centre or Group - Does NOT include content added after October 2018: Psychology Research Group
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2016.1169398
Page Range: 678-691
Depositing User: Rachel Abbott
Date Deposited: 06 Apr 2016 11:06
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2021 00:24
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11878

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