ABSTRACT

Many young people in Australia leave secondary school with little understanding of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This study aims to describe Australian teachers’ experiences when providing SRH education, map their use of resources, and explore barriers and strategies to increase students’ skills and confidence to protect their SRH. Quantitative data were gathered via an online questionnaire (n = 189) before qualitative data were elicited via semi-structured interviews (n = 16). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted on non-parametric data, with Mann-Whitney U tests being used to explore differences between groups. Deductive thematic analysis identified three themes and five sub-themes. Participants valued SRH education and were confident to provide it. They reported having access to a range of resources but not the time or awareness to use these resources to greatest advantage. Participants believed that barriers to providing SRH education, such as non-specialist teachers and students not choosing Health as a subject in the later years of schooling can be overcome with teacher education and training. Findings paint a somewhat positive picture of SRH education in Australia including life-changing learning experiences for students, a range of useful resources available to teachers, and the potential of SRH education when staff and school leadership recognise it as a priority.

摘要

澳大利亚的许多年轻人在中学毕业时对性与生殖健康 (SRH) 知之甚少。本研究旨在描述澳大利亚教师在提供 SRH 教育时的经验，绘制他们对资源的使用情况，并探索提高学生技能和信心以保护其 SRH 的障碍和策略。在通过半结构化访谈（n = 16）获得定性数据之前，通过在线问卷（n = 189）收集定量数据。对非参数数据进行描述性统计分析，使用 Mann-Whitney U 检验来探索组间差异。演绎主题分析确定了三个主题和五个子主题。参与者重视 SRH 教育并有信心提供。他们报告说可以访问一系列资源，但没有时间或意识来最大程度地利用这些资源。参与者认为，提供 SRH 教育的障碍，例如非专业教师和学生在学校后期不选择健康作为科目，可以通过教师教育和培训来克服。调查结果描绘了澳大利亚 SRH 教育的正面图景，包括改变学生生活的学习经历、教师可用的一系列有用资源，以及当教职员工和学校领导层将 SRH 教育视为优先事项时的潜力。如非专业教师和学生晚年不选择健康作为科目，可以通过教师教育和培训来克服。调查结果描绘了澳大利亚 SRH 教育的正面图景，包括改变学生生活的学习经历、教师可用的一系列有用资源，以及当教职员工和学校领导层将 SRH 教育视为优先事项时的潜力。如非专业教师和学生晚年不选择健康作为科目，可以通过教师教育和培训来克服。调查结果描绘了澳大利亚 SRH 教育的正面图景，包括改变学生生活的学习经历、教师可用的一系列有用资源，以及当教职员工和学校领导层将 SRH 教育视为优先事项时的潜力。