ERIC Number: ED642483
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 124
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-7806-8014-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Sex Education: A Qualitative Study Outlining Limited Accessibility to Resources for Educators of Special Populations
Elonda D. James
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Trident University International
This qualitative study explored the training and preparation of educators who teach sexual health education to students identified as intellectual and developmentally disabled. People with disabilities experience the highest rates of abuse, including mental, emotional, physical, and sexual. Although there are many resources to help improve the sexual health of people with disabilities, those intended to inform educators about disability sexual health are limited. This limited access includes lack of training programs and lack of teacher knowledge, both of which result in teacher concerns and fear of teaching the content. There is little information about how teachers describe their training and preparedness for teaching sex education to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The researcher interviewed teachers of sex education about the subject, seeking to understand their attitudes and personal opinions about the reasons behind this lack of information. The participants' main opinion was that the school district did not provide them with enough training or resources on sex education for disabled students. Participants also wanted more inclusiveness for students with disabilities in sex education curriculum development. After completing the participant interviews, the researcher conducted a thematic analysis to identify the common themes among the participant responses. Themes that arose from this study were: insufficient district efforts, personal beliefs of educators, future outcomes, equality, and the degree of parental involvement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Sex Education, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disabilities, Teacher Education, Student Needs, Information Needs, Health Behavior, Teacher Attitudes, Students with Disabilities, Safety, Prevention, Inclusion, Curriculum Development, Educational Needs
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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