Online Discussion about Sexuality Education in Schools

Overview & Synopsis

Sexuality education in schools continues to be a controversial issue although public debate has seemingly calmed in recent years. Dialogue about the value and purpose of sexuality education for adolescents can provide health education specialists a better understanding of public opinion and online discussion may be a potentially ideal way to foster these discussions. The purpose of this study was two-fold--to analyze college students' perceptions of sexuality education in schools and to consider the unique context of online discussion about this topic and the influence of this format on discourse. A qualitative research design was used to analyze the content of five asynchronous online discussion forums about sexuality education in schools. Several themes emerged from the analysis including participants' observations about the quality of sexuality education, what adolescents should be taught, parent and sibling roles, and the influence of the media. Xin and Feenberg's four component model of computer-mediated communication was used to consider the value of online discussion. Reflections on the components led to the conclusion that online discussion produced vigorous and rich dialogue about sexuality education.