Sexuality education crosses the boundary between education and health promotion in schools and raises complex policy, research and practice related debates (Simovska and Kane, 2015; Monk, 2001). Although the name, aims and content differs, sexuality education is mandatory in practically all European countries (Parker et al. 2009). In 1955 Sweden was the first country in Europe to establish compulsory sexuality education in all schools, followed in 1970 by Denmark, Finland and Czech Republic.
In general, the prevailing rationale behind sexuality education derives from a traditional public health perspective focusing on preventing risk behaviors leading to sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence (UNESCO 2009; WHO & BZgA 2010). Whilst lot of research has been carried out on the possible preventive effects of sexuality education (e.g. Kirby & Coyle, 1997), little attention has been paid to positive perspectives focusing on sexual wellbeing and/or critical health education including new forms of families and relationships, identity, and human rights (Ingham & Hirst 2010; McNamara et al 2010; Hirst 2013; Simovska and Kane, 2015).
European children and adolescents of today grow up in a time where rapid changes in late-modern family structures, relationships, body culture and expressions of gender and sexuality may impact significantly on their lives and general wellbeing (Bauman 1996; 2003; Giddens 1992). In this perspective, it can be argued that sexuality education is not just to be considered a prescribed topic taught in specific lessons and aimed at physical health promotion. Rather, sexuality education has the potential of being an educational practice permeating all aspects of school culture, aimed at intricate processes of qualification, socialization and subjectification (Biesta 2006; 2011). In this perspective sexuality education becomes an important arena for Bildung (Klafki 2001) and, as such, it contributes to the personal and social development of children and adolescents on matters related to sexuality, intimacy, social interactions, emotions and gender as well as sexual rights, identities and societal challenges related to these.
Against this background, in this presentation we aim to discuss selected challenges concerning school based sexuality education, emerging from a systematic literature review. The review is guided by the following three sets of questions:
1) How is sexuality education in schools framed within research in general? Which methodological, discursive, theoretical and analytical perspectives prevail?
2) Specifically, what are the research questions, methodologies and analytical frameworks of studies within the discourse of critical health education and sexual wellbeing?
3) What is absent in the sexuality education research within the critical discourse? What are the questions which are not asked, methodologies and analytical frameworks that are lacking?
The positive focus on sexual wellbeing and the principles of critical health education is conceptualized following the general paradigm of the Health Promoting Schools approach, known in Europe as “Schools for Health” (e.g. Buijs, 2009; Simovska & McNamara, 2015). Although the health promoting schools do not focus exclusively on sexual health, the critical approach to health promotion -conceptualizing health in a socio-ecological manner, emphasizing wellbeing and the social determinants of health as well as placing empowerment and action competence development ahead of behavior modification - is considered highly relevant for the research and practice related to sexuality education in schools.
