Sex education in a knowledge-based society

Abstract

Getting information about sex is no longer the issue. Information about sex from adult movies to zoophilia can be easily obtained at the click of a mouse. The call for more sex education comes as no surprise with the increasing rate of teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and abandoned babies. A recent Straits Times poll indicated that four of five respondents wanted schools to conduct sex education courses. As the Internet makes its presence felt in the classroom, teachers in a knowledge-based society must face the new challenge of addressing sexuality issues that their students may have. How knowledgeable and comfortable are these new teachers about such matters? How prepared are these teachers in answering biological, sexual or value-laden questions? What kind of questions would these teachers be most comfortable or uncomfortable with? This study examines the attitudes towards sex education of new PGDE Primary and Secondary teachers who have just completed their training at NIE.