How Saudi Academics See the Ramifications of the Sex Education Integration in Higher Education Institutions Curriculum

Abstract

Sex education describes an amalgamation of learning experiences that promote voluntary behavior conducive to related health. Hence, a multidimensional implementation approach that integrates several stakeholders and methods can increase the effectiveness in achieving desirable behavioral and health outcomes. The schools primarily comprise young adults whose age increases their tendency to engage in risky behaviors, predisposing them to a high likelihood of becoming victims and perpetrators. Middle East nations have been slow in adopting sex education curricula in schools due to cultural and religious barriers. Hence, they negatively view the topic since it contradicts their cultural and religious values. Cultural and religious norms are the primary factors limiting effective sexual education adoption in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, increasing exposure has increased the learners’ curiosity to learn about the topic, which predisposes them to unreliable sources of information. Therefore, this investigation seeks to determine the impact of integrating sex education curriculum among the Kingdom’s universities and the issues to consider achieving the desired outcomes. The primary objectives include determining importance of the sex education curriculum, identify the approaches the institutions can utilize to implement the program, determine the issues that hamper its 4 implementation, and list the appropriate instructional units. The study employed a cross sectional design to guide subsequent research processes and address the knowledge gap. It utilized survey questions and interviews, adopting a multimethod research approach. Hence, the study’s target population comprised higher education instructors, administrators, and graduate students. The primary research instruments utilized were interview schedules and questionnaires. Data collection incorporated both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Qualtrics was used for surveys, while Microsoft Teams facilitated the interviews. To analyze the gathered data, a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods was employed. The quantitative assessment focused on survey data and involved the use of descriptive statistics to characterize the respondents, as well as inferential methods to examine associations between the independent and dependent variables. Qualitative analysis, which was centered around the interview responses, data was qualitatively assessed using thematic content analysis to generate themes and concepts regarding the study’s independent variables. The findings indicated that there the benefits of sex education significantly predicted the program’s perceived feasibility. However, the association was not statistically significant for the implementation strategies, potential barriers, and selected units. Nonetheless, there was a statistically significant weak correlation between the benefits, implementation strategies, barriers, and units. This study's findings imply that sex education programs will benefit all higher education stakeholders by creating a safe learning, working, and living environment.