The Social Context of Premarital Sexual Permissiveness

This study seeks to further interrogate the sexuality education debate from the perspective of the educational policy being implemented to achieve established curricular requirements and goals in rural midwestern communities. To this point, very little research has examined the way in which sexuality education curricula are implemented in these communities. The overall purpose of this study was to provide a qualitative case study analysis of sexuality education policy implementation in two rural midwestern communities in the state of Iowa. The researcher was interested in learning how local agents in rural midwestern communities implemented sexuality education policy, and understanding that process from a social cognitive theoretical framework. A qualitative case study methodology was used for this study. Seven local implementing agents from two rural school districts in the state of Iowa were interviewed, and relevant documents pertaining to the implementation of sexuality education policy were analyzed. The case study methodology provided the opportunity for participants to share individual values and beliefs regarding sexuality education policy, and discuss their experiences implementing this policy. Analysis of the data was guided by the following research questions: (a) what are the roles of individual implementing agents in the implementation of sexuality education policy in two rural, midwestern school districts? (b) Are there significant individual and group influences on how implementing agents choose to implement sexuality education policy? (c) What is the community context in which implementing agents implement

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4610&context=etd

Sexuality education policy implementation in two rural midwestern communities: A comparative case study

This paper reports on the organization, delivery, and part of the evaluation of a three-year community project in sex education for parents. The proJect was based on the philosophy that parents are the main sex educators of their children, whether they do it well or badly. The aim of the project was to defuse common myths that hinder communication about sexuality in order to help parents become more effective sex educators of their own children. Over 1,000 parents participated in programs offered by 70 community leaders trained through the proJect. Over 80% of the leaders intend to offer additional programs in order to meet the requests of parents. Recommendations for curriculum and structure of such programs are discussed.

A Community Sex Education Program For Parents.

In the present study parents' views of appropriate rules and behavior in teenage courtship were examined. Consideration was given to differences between democratic and autocratic attitudes concerning dating rules and teenage sexual behavior. Reiss (1967) has emphasized the importance of the liberal-conservative ethos as a predictor of courtship attitudes. He contended that a liberal or conservative life style was more important than social class in determining the degree of sexual permissiveness (Reiss, 1965). Reiss' findings emphasize the relevance of identifying subjects' liberal and conservative attitudes. Reiss also reported that equalitarianism with a departure from double standard adherence was approved by the majority of both his student and adult samples, but that a female's close ties to the family institution function as support to non-equalitarianism. Another of his specific findings was that in groups with lower levels of sexual permissiveness, social forces will have a greater likelihood of altering the individual's level of sexual permissiveness than in groups with higher levels of sexual permissiveness. The legitimacy of the proposition was questioned by Heltsley and Broderick (1969). Using religiosity as a measure of social forces they disputed this general finding and suggested the quality of the particular factor, in this case religion, influenced sexual permissiveness. The effective rejoinder by Reiss (1969) still leaves the proposition as one to consider in further research. Wake (1969, pp. 170-177) asserted that the double standard was nearly nonexistent for his sample of middle to upper socio-economic status mothers and fathers. Those parents were described as equally permissive toward sons' and daughters' sexual experiences. However, a progressive decrease in permissiveness was

Parental views on teenage sexual behavior

Adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior 1

Parental attitudes toward specific content in high school sex education programs were related to a liberal-traditional orientation as well as social class religion whether children were pre- or post-pubescent and age of parent. A random sample of 250 parents approved most discussion topics as measured by the Sex Education Content Scale (SECS). Content of sex education must be logically and functionally related to goals and methods. As the attack on sex education subsides sex education cannot be viewed as a "dead issue." The name of a program should accurately describe the content. (authors)

Parental Attitudes Toward Content in High School Sex Education Programs: Liberalism-Traditionalism and Demographic Correlates.

Professional persons enrolled in a sex education institute were studied regarding their attitudes toward sex education for adolescents. The direction and degree of attitude changes emanating from participation in the institute as well as demographic determinants of these changes were investigated. Workshop attitude change was measured in a pre-post design using the Sex Education Liberalism Scale (SELS) and the Sex Education Content Scale (SECS). Each respondent was his own control. Increased liberalism toward sex education was found. Marital status religion occupation and education were found to be discriminating variables whereas age and sex were not. (authors)

Roger W. Libby

Papers

Parental Attitudes Toward Content in High School Sex Education Programs: Liberalism-Traditionalism and Demographic Correlates.

Attitude change among professionals toward sex education for adolescents.