Teaching Sexuality and Sexual Health Education at a Rural Government Primary School in the North Eastern Education District: Teachers’ Concerns

Abstract

This study explored teachers’ concerns regarding the teaching of the sexuality and sexual health theme of the health and family life education (HFLE) syllabus at a primary school in the North Eastern Education District, Trinidad and Tobago. The Stages of Concern dimension of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) guided the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six teachers, representative of each level of the school. The findings revealed that the teachers had concerns with respect to: 1) information, 2) parental reaction and support, 3) their own discomfort and encouragement in discussing sexuality and health, 4) the lack of resources, and 5) the lack of proficiency and training. These concerns occurred in different stages.