Picturing sexuality education in Thailand: a visual methods approach
Issued Date
2024-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14681811
eISSN
14720825
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85212185997
Journal Title
Sex Education
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Sex Education (2024)
Suggested Citation
Ojanen T.T., Burford J., Kuttiparambil B., Boonmongkon P., Samoh N., Woratworawan W., Peerawarunun P., Guadamuz T.E. Picturing sexuality education in Thailand: a visual methods approach. Sex Education (2024). doi:10.1080/14681811.2024.2414756 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/102474
Title
Picturing sexuality education in Thailand: a visual methods approach
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Visual research methods are increasingly utilised in educational research and scholars have used them to develop accounts of sexuality in schooling contexts. This article advances this work with an analysis of secondary students’ drawings of their experiences with sexuality education. We performed a thematic analysis on 150 drawings created during participatory focus group discussions (FGDs) among students in 30 Thai general secondary and vocational schools. We present summaries of six key themes identified in the visual data (‘emphasis on puberty, anatomy, and reproduction’; ‘emphasis on preventing pregnancy and infection’; ‘emphasis on the negative consequences of sex’; ‘hidden curriculum of heteronormativity’; ‘absence of complexities in the images’; and ‘a traditional classroom environment’). Conducted as a part of a multi-method study that also included teacher and student surveys, the analysis of students’ drawings highlighted the nature of Thai sexuality education from a complementary vantage point. While our previously reported survey findings indicated relatively comprehensive topic coverage, our interpretation of the student drawings suggests that pregnancy prevention may be emphasised over other topic areas. Our analysis of the drawings also supported earlier survey findings pointing at a lecture-heavy approach to teaching and learning rather than more learner-centred pedagogy.