Journal article
Relationships and sexuality education for primary school students: results of a pre-post intervention study
Sex Education, Vol.26(4), pp.469-486
2026
Abstract
This study evaluated a relationships and sexuality education (RSE) programme for upper primary [elementary] school-aged children, delivered by specialist relationships and sexuality educators in Queensland, Australia. Students (n = 148) in Years 4, 5 and 6 (ages 9–12 years) of six participating schools attended a two-hour programme and completed a self-report questionnaire before and after it. Parents/caregivers (n = 174) and school staff (n = 6) were also consulted. Before the programme, parents/caregivers were asked to provide information on the RSE resources available at home, parent–child communication about relationships and sexuality and self-efficacy for parent–child communication about relationships and sexuality. After the programme, school staff were asked about school-level RSE facilitators. Results showed that, after the programme, students improved in knowledge and self-efficacy. RSE at home was limited to a relatively narrow breadth of topics, even though parents reported feeling confident to discuss relationships and sexuality with their children. Schools indicated the need for support to ensure the delivery of RSE. Findings suggest that when this programme is delivered, children can develop knowledge and confidence about relationships and sexuality topics that are relevant to them. These findings will be of interest to those advocating for the inclusion of RSE in primary schools.
Details
- Title
- Relationships and sexuality education for primary school students: results of a pre-post intervention study
- Authors
- Roxana Aguilar Alonso (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyKerryann M Walsh - Queensland University of TechnologyLisa van Leent - Queensland University of TechnologyKate E Williams - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessClaire Moran - The University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Sex Education, Vol.26(4), pp.469-486
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1080/14681811.2025.2515057
- ISSN
- 1472-0825
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Grant note
- This work was supported by the Queensland University of Technology under a Postgraduate Research Award to the first author.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991131905602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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