Students' Perspectives on Sex Education

This assignment provides a unique insight into students' views on sex education. It highlights their experiences, opinions, and thoughts on the topic, showcasing a range of perspectives from different students. The discussion revolves around the importance of sex education, its impact on students' understanding, and the consequences of not being properly informed. Students share their personal experiences, emphasizing the need for open and honest communication about sex-related topics.

Running head: Assignment _ Qualitative Data Analysis
Assignment_ Qualitative analysis
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

Assignment _ Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis
Part 2: Qualitative Analysis
The approach to analysis that was adopted was grounded theory. The initial open codes and the
subsequent axial codes categorically identified five sub themes which was again connected via selective
coding process to amount to the primary three themes of acquisition of sex education, what was learnt
about sex and morality in context to sex (Berger, 2015). The respondents were asked to respond to open
ended queries and the individual responses were scrutinized to reveal certain similarities in the context
of the nature of sex education that exists in the schooling system and the kind of conversations society
has been engaging in while addressing sex to teenagers (Henwood, 2014).
(A) Findings
The data consists of four semi-structured interviews of different male participants. Upon
thoroughly going through the questions and answers in the transcripts, it was determined that the
interviewees are all sexually active heterosexual males. The transcripts were thoroughly studied and
compared with one another. The analysis was done through the grounded theory approach through
identification of themes using NVivo (Henwood, 2014). The coding scheme is given in Appendix section.
The interview seemed to attempt to shed light on the perspectives of the interviewees on their ideas of
sexuality, their sexual practices, experience, expectations and beliefs with regard to their position as
males with respect to females in such relationships. The salient similarities and differences were noted
and hence five key aspects were identified after thorough analysis and coding at various levels, namely,
open, axial and selective (Smith, 2015). The five aspects were then further determined to lead up to
three main themes.
Themes
Three main themes were found to be emerging from the responses of the participants centred
on their experiences, perspectives and beliefs about sex and gender. The broad topics under discussion
were found to be how the subjects came to know about sex and the sex education they received.
Another key topic that emerged was how that had affected how they view sexuality, their own as well as
the concept of sexuality with respect to society in general. Another emergent theme was of morality in
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connection to sexuality and sexual education as a tool to instil among the upcoming generations was
also identified.
Learning Sex Education
Two sub themes relating to role of parents in sex education and role of sex education from
school were found to be connected on the notion of learning sex education among the participants as
teenagers. The theme related to how they came to understand and know about sex. It was revealed that
the primary sources of sex education, namely parents and sex education classes in school proved to
provide technical information related to the act and the measures that ought to be taken to ensure safe
and responsible sex from health perspectives. The participants expressed that although sex education in
school did make them more wary of the health concerns and preventive measure it failed to garner
interest and provide much valuable insights regarding their queries. It was highlighted by one participant
that sex education although informative about health aspects failed to address some of the more subtle
social aspects of the issue such as appropriate sexual conduct while engaging in such liaisons. Sex
education in school thus resulted in minimum role in development of understanding of social cues in
regard to sex and sexual relationships. The participants unanimously agreed on the contention of sex
education being too technical and therefore uninteresting to them. It was asserted by some that their
knowledge about sex was more benefitted from peers and other environmental influences rather than
the formal introduction that the schooling system provided and that it was mostly focussed around
giving caution with regard to unsafe sexual practices rather than being educational about appropriate
sexual conduct. The guidance provided by parents was also stated to be more inclined toward
cautionary and preventive acts. Other environmental factors such as influence of peers and friends also
was found to be relevant in initiation of the participants with regard to sexual relationships. It was
revealed that it is through these relationships that their ideas and interest towards sexual aspects of life
blossomed and was cultivated that they deemed relevant. However a respondent reported that his
parents had a key role in shaping his concept of masculinity and thus his general attitude towards
women and sex education as well.
Learning from sex education.
Two sub themes relating to role of parents in sex education and role of sex education from
school were found to be connected on the notion of learning sex education among the participants as
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teenagers. It was found that sex education in school resulted in minimum role in development of
understanding of social cues in regard to sex and sexual relationships. The participants unanimously
agreed on the contention of sex education in school being too technical and therefore uninteresting to
them. It was asserted by some that their knowledge about sex was more benefitted from peers and
other environmental influences rather than the formal introduction that the schooling system provided
and that it was mostly focussed around giving caution with regard to unsafe sexual practices rather than
being educational about appropriate sexual conduct. The guidance provided by parents was also rated
to be more inclined toward cautionary and preventive acts. It is suggested that parental guidance
focused more towards the safety of their ward rather than schooling them towards how to act in a
sexual relationship. Sex education was thus inferred to be mostly lacking in schooling teenagers in how
to approach sexual relationships. It is inferred that sex education primarily focuses on use of
contraceptives and spreading awareness with regard to STI’s however this suggests that formal sex
education today propagates a negative outlook among the teenagers. Other environmental factors such
as influence of peers and friends also was found to be relevant in initiation of the participants with
regard to sexual relationships. It was revealed that it is through these relationships that their ideas and
interest towards sexual aspects of life blossomed and was cultivated that they deemed relevant.
Morality
Although the respondents reflected that schooling and parents played limited and sometimes
irrelevant roles in their perception of sex and sexual relationships, some revealed that their idea of
masculinity and therefore idea of gender roles in regard to sexual relationships were influenced by their
parent’s relationship and their own relationship with their father to be specific. Respondents who
responded positively to a significant role of their parents in their lives and had platonic interactions with
the opposite gender were seen to be more insightful and concerned about the opposite gender and
their relationship to women. This again leads to the inference that perhaps influence of successful
parental guidance that set ideal models of male female dynamics could have affected their apparent
difference in perspectives. Participants revealed peer influence as being a driving factor in their lives.
(B) Transparency Memo
Following what Bourke (2014) says about positionality, owing to the attributes of being a forty
five year old man from Jordan with over twenty years of experience in the field of mental health, the life
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experiences and beliefs render the interpretation of the responses to be in a perspective which is both
an insider in some ways as well as an outsider with respect to the respondents. As a man, relating to
how a male would view sex and relationship with women would certainly come more easily than others.
Despite the apparent position as an “insider” however there certainly exists some cultural barriers as
well as in beliefs that comes with generational differences that may give rise to assumptions whose
veracity ought to be taken into account while considering the analysis.
The transcripts revealed discussions over the perceived role that their parents, peers and their
environment had played. Parents, schooling, peers, contraceptives, sexual partner, sexuality of women
stood out as notable points of consideration. Their responses shed some interesting light about how role
of parents and peers could have impacted their views on sexual relationships and sensitivity towards the
opposite gender, in other words the concepts of morality in reference to sexual relationships. A key
conflict that was found was in role that parents play in development of understanding of sex and gender
role among the subjects. While some revealed that parents had remained oblivious to the developing
sexual awareness of their child in the initial phases, only to address the matter well into when the
subject had already acquired preliminary experience and thus revealed that contribution from their
parents served to be comparatively less significant, some regarded parental guidance as a key influencer
of how they perceived the opposite gender and their own idea of masculinity. This raises the question
whether effect of parents having a significant roles in sexual education could have had an impact on
how sexual education has affected the subjects. The difference and similarities between what the
subjects have learned and how their views have developed through the varying influences to their
sexual education was therefore analysed.
Sexual education as I understand has two parts, first the health aspect of it which addresses the
risks of sexually transmitted diseases and the steps one can take to engage in safe sexual liaisons and
second the more subtle social aspect of it which guides the students towards gaining an understanding
of the more moral aspects such as how one is to behave and what is acceptable in a sexual relationship ,
that is, how one should treat their partners or how to conduct themselves in a sexual relationship. This
aspect seems to be lagging from the formal sex education in schools as well as from the kind of guidance
that the parents of most of these subjects are giving, as revealed by the subjects with all the subjects
agreeing on the claim that their knowledge about sex was more benefitted from peers and other
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environmental influences rather than the formal introduction that the schooling system provided and
that it was mostly focussed around giving caution with regard to unsafe sexual practices rather than
being educational about appropriate sexual conduct. The guidance provided by parents was also rated
to be more inclined toward cautionary and preventive acts. It is thus suggested that parental guidance
focused more towards the safety of their ward rather than schooling them towards how to act in a
sexual relationship. Sex education was thus inferred to be mostly lacking in schooling teenagers in how
to approach sexual relationships. It is inferred that sex education primarily focuses on use of
contraceptives and spreading awareness with regard to STI’s however this suggests that formal sex
education today propagates a negative outlook among the teenagers.
School was yet another influence, however its role was revealed to be a more formal and clinical
which only worked to highlight the risks and available precautionary measures associated with sexual
acts and the respondents did not seem to place it as impactful as the influence of their peers and their
exposure to contemporary culture and immediate environment on their sexual awareness. Although
some did acknowledge somewhat that the sex education programs in school was informative, they also
maintained that the information provided by those programs were nothing that they could not have
acquired from elsewhere and that its impact did not have as much influence, some specifically
expressed how the dispassionate way the program at schools failed to garner their interest at the time
and that personal experience on the other hand served to be much more educational and all the
participants seemed to hold similar opinion regarding school as an influencer. Drawing upon this, it
raises the question regarding the effectiveness of the sex education programs that are carried out in the
school and begets the question whether the approach taken by institutions could be improved or not.
It was seen that STIs and importance of contraceptives was a recurrent point raised by the
subjects and that these are the primary concerns which are albeit crucial points indeed. Thus this was a
key takeaway of their sexual education. Sex education by schools, parents and that being propagated
along society therefore was seen to have been successful in emphasizing these points. Thus learning
from sex education emerged to be another key theme. Relating to the response of the subjects to what
they think about first while engaging in any kind of sexual activity, most of them failed to point out their
partners as key concerns. However they did go on to accept that consent and wellbeing of the partners
must be considered. Even so, this betrays a sense that perhaps that aspect of being alert about such
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issues are perhaps not as much covered in the current sex education scenarios. A question of the aspect
of morality that a person develops and how much sexual education could have influenced it is brought in
question.
The topic of morality was constructed with reference to sexuality in terms of both how it is
perceived in society and in reference to how it matters in light of how the sexual partners are viewed
upon and treated or how they believe they ought to treat by the subjects and how sexuality of women
are viewed upon compared to men in society was also talked about. The theme is thus explained
through points spanning aspects such as their views on masculinity, women and attitude towards sexual
relationships. The participants showed variation to some extent in response to these aspects. The
participants all seemed to be aware of how they being men enjoyed a more advantageous position in
society where they were not subjected to judgement as their female counterparts were upon
engagement in sexual relationships. Their responses as explored to certain extent under the theme
learning from sex education in aspects of partner being a significant concern revealed that not all were
cognizant or concerned regarding wellbeing of the partner for the sake of the partner herself but were
viewed as a concern, more often as an extension of health concerns. The prime driver for sexual
engagement was found to be expectation amongst peers and reputation among most participants. Only
one had responded that reputation played a neutral role in his motivation for sex although he did affirm
that it did have relevance among peers that a person had acquired sexual experience. Connecting this
with the lack of consideration reflected by some of the participants with regard to interest of the
partners it is inferred that much of the driving force being sexual engagement among the participants
who represent their social group is based off peer pressure and that coupled with the issue being more
or less ignored in formal sex education it may leave space for wholesome development of sexual
behaviour among males depending on their immediate environment and peer group. Effect of parents,
the relationship of parents as the respondent had perceived also perhaps could have had an effect, since
one of the participants who responded positively to his parent’s role and their relationship was found to
be quite sensitive and perceptive regarding the opposite gender and his sexual partner(s).Again, a male
having a mixed peer group with healthy amount of interactions between both males and females were
more likely to be mature and insightful. It was these participants who fit such a profile who seemed to
be more sensitive to plight of women in society and viewed partners as “whole” individuals rather than
just avenues of sexual gratification. Also it was perceived that these males who had limited interactions
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and been exposed to such male female dynamics generally to some extent viewed women as the
“other” and had limited understanding of the opposite gender leading to the lack of sensitivity thereof.
Therefore Mortality emerged as another theme.
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References
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Eisner, E. W. (2017). The enlightened eye: Qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of
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Flick, U. (2014). An introduction to qualitative research. Sage.
Greenland, S., Senn, S. J., Rothman, K. J., Carlin, J. B., Poole, C., Goodman, S. N., & Altman, D. G.
(2016). Statistical tests, P values, confidence intervals, and power: a guide to
misinterpretations. European journal of epidemiology, 31(4), 337-350.
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Henwood, K. (2014). Qualitative research. Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology, 1611-1614.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis. Sage.
Morse, J. M. (2015). Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative
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Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2015). Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence-
Based Nursing, ebnurs-2015.
Percy, W. H., Kostere, K., & Kostere, S. (2015). Generic qualitative research in psychology. The
Qualitative Report, 20(2), 76.
Sekaran, U., &Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John
Wiley & Sons.
Smith, B., & McGannon, K. R. (2017). Developing rigor in qualitative research: Problems and
opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. International review of sport and
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Vaismoradi, M., Jones, J., Turunen, H., & Snelgrove, S. (2016). Theme development in
qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Journal of Nursing Education and
Practice, 6(5), 100.
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Appendix
Contraception
<Internals\\Alan> - § 2 references coded [1.39% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.56% Coverage
It’s like what I said. You could say now, that you would use contraception
Reference 2 - 0.83% Coverage
Be safe. It’s what people should be thinking about but I don’t know what
102 advice I would give them really
<Internals\\Rick> - § 3 references coded [2.04% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.62% Coverage
Just that you need to be safe and that everything needs to be thought through
39 not just go and randomly
Reference 2 - 0.58% Coverage
can screw everything up for your entire life so you just need to be careful about what you
are doing
Reference 3 - 0.85% Coverage
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Just wear condoms and just make sure everything is alright. Get both checked out
perhaps if anything actually goes wrong to catch it early whatever
<Internals\\Tim> - § 2 references coded [0.50% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.21% Coverage
Yes or like going on the pill or something like that
Reference 2 - 0.29% Coverage
STI’s, but pregnancy mainly. That is what I would be worried about really
Morality
<Internals\\Alan> - § 2 references coded [3.76% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.44% Coverage
If you had to sum it up what is so good about sex? The feel
Reference 2 - 3.32% Coverage
Does it help your reputation if you have had sex? It changes the way people look at you
really wouldn’t it? Like somebody you
151 wouldn’t expect to do things like that and they come back one day and they have
152 done it you would be surprised wouldn’t you? I don’t know whether it would change
153 how you treated them or anything but I think they would be seen as not more of an
154 adult but don’t think they would be treated the same
<Internals\\Neil> - § 3 references coded [2.23% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 1.18% Coverage
Yes probably yes probably that is what they are seeing it as someone they
118 might have a relationship with but I am seeing it as probably the wrong word to use
a 119 whole yes you know what I mean just as the entire person
Reference 2 - 0.54% Coverage
What is so good about sex for men? 163
It’s basically just the ego thing being able to talk about it.
Reference 3 - 0.51% Coverage
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People say that it is a lot more emotional for a girl but I suppose it depends how you look
at it
<Internals\\Rick> - § 6 references coded [2.75% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.47% Coverage
Yes. It might be alright at the time like but later on it might come back and bite
Reference 2 - 0.56% Coverage
Making sure that your partner is alright with it as well not just saying it to keep you with
them
Reference 3 - 0.29% Coverage
Yes and wait for them if they need to be waited for
Reference 4 - 0.43% Coverage
Not being like courteous and not being an idiot and being evil to everyone
Reference 5 - 0.83% Coverage
You just don’t force anyone to do anything. If they are not ready or you are
89 not ready you just say no. It is just the way things should be
Reference 6 - 0.17% Coverage
Bragging about sex is alright
<Internals\\Tim> - § 7 references coded [2.21% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.47% Coverage
I suppose you have got to treat women with respect and the obvious things really. My
mum and my dad are really close
Reference 2 - 0.22% Coverage
Protection first. The different ways of contraception.
Reference 3 - 0.29% Coverage
to make sure the person you are going to 38 do it with is alright with it
Reference 4 - 0.11% Coverage
dead sure they want to do it
Reference 5 - 0.25% Coverage
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And you would see that as your responsibility? Yes definitely
Reference 6 - 0.25% Coverage
Yes it puts it in your own hands and gives you responsibility
Reference 7 - 0.63% Coverage
I think girls are a bit more responsible and don’t want to be
203 named really as someone who gets about they want to be a little bit more refined I
think
Parents
<Internals\\Alan> - § 5 references coded [1.89% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.08% Coverage
Not really
Reference 2 - 0.32% Coverage
they realized that I was getting old enough
Reference 3 - 0.41% Coverage
in year 10 that they realized what I could be doing so
Reference 4 - 0.24% Coverage
Safe sex that’s what it is about
Reference 5 - 0.84% Coverage
well they 58 might as well make sure that I do it safely and put the message into my
head that I 59 do it safely
<Internals\\Neil> - § 1 reference coded [0.62% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.62% Coverage
That wouldn’t happen no (laughing) I am lucky enough to not be, you know,
60 my parents just wouldn’t do that to you
<Internals\\Rick> - § 4 references coded [1.87% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.47% Coverage
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I got like the talk and everything like that so that’s another thing it comes from
Reference 2 - 0.22% Coverage
Fourteen I think can’t remember exactly
Reference 3 - 0.66% Coverage
Yes basically it was going over stuff I already knew and they went deep into the
consequences of what could happen
Reference 4 - 0.52% Coverage
Yes we were just told to be open about everything and everything has to be thought
through
<Internals\\Tim> - § 3 references coded [0.90% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.23% Coverage
All the rest has been like talking to my mum and
66 dad
Reference 2 - 0.43% Coverage
Just always be careful and make sure that whatever you are going to do the
other person is right with it
Reference 3 - 0.25% Coverage
Yes it puts it in your own hands and gives you responsibility
School
<Internals\\Alan> - § 6 references coded [1.89% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.14% Coverage
Yes it was alright
Reference 2 - 0.66% Coverage
it is not like some of the things you are pretty bored with like all the technical stuff
Reference 3 - 0.14% Coverage
it is not too good
Reference 4 - 0.23% Coverage
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Like talking about the reality
Reference 5 - 0.26% Coverage
they are talking about reproduction
Reference 6 - 0.47% Coverage
in reality
33 not everyone has sex for reproduction do they?
<Internals\\Neil> - § 4 references coded [1.42% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.60% Coverage
I don’t think the sex education actually told me anything that I wouldn’t
67 have been able to figure out myself
Reference 2 - 0.44% Coverage
Like if you don’t use a condom there is a chance that you might get someone pregnant
Reference 3 - 0.10% Coverage
you might get an STI
Reference 4 - 0.28% Coverage
sex education probably didn’t actually do much for me
<Internals\\Rick> - § 2 references coded [0.37% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.18% Coverage
Got that from science at school
Reference 2 - 0.20% Coverage
one sex education lesson in a year
<Internals\\Tim> - § 3 references coded [0.84% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.22% Coverage
The only sex education our year has had would be year 7
Reference 2 - 0.41% Coverage
I think the school is trying to sort that out now in younger years but year 11 now
68 haven’t had any
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Reference 3 - 0.20% Coverage
No I think it was a different message from school.
Thinking about Partner
<Internals\\Alan> - § 1 reference coded [0.77% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.77% Coverage
Yes. Because it is her body as well isn’t it, not just mine so she should be looking after
herself too
<Internals\\Rick> - § 3 references coded [1.33% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.47% Coverage
Yes. It might be alright at the time like but later on it might come back and bite
Reference 2 - 0.56% Coverage
Making sure that your partner is alright with it as well not just saying it to keep you with
them
Reference 3 - 0.29% Coverage
Yes and wait for them if they need to be waited for
<Internals\\Tim> - § 1 reference coded [0.48% Coverage]
Reference 1 - 0.48% Coverage
Use protection, make sure she is definite about wanting to do it and don’t do
169 anything silly really, common sense
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