Sex education from the perspective of adolescent students, teachers, and managers of Elementary School in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Sexuality in adolescence is a major focus of interest and concern for parents and educators, thus family and school involvement is indispensable for adolescent sex education. This article analyzes educational scenarios, themes, and difficulties related to sex education, from the perspective of adolescent students, managers, and teachers from Brazilian public schools. This is a cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive survey, developed in 5 schools from the 2nd political-administrative region (PAR) of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The sample consisted of 196 individuals (168 teenagers, 19 teachers, and 9 managers) and data was obtained through interviews, conducted in September and October 2017. The results indicate that the school infrastructure has deficiencies in relation to: living spaces, teaching scenarios, teacher education, dialogue with families, and integration with other teaching and health institutions. All this contributes to the persistence of sex education as a theme of biology-based classes. It is concluded that psychological, cultural, and relational aspects of healthy and safe sexuality persist as knowledge gaps according to the teenagers themselves, something which indicates the need to expand spaces for dialogue and embracement of human diversity within the school environment.