Exploration of the policy structure of China s school sexuality education based on text analysis / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the structural status of school sexuality education policies in China, so as to provide a reference to optimize their effectiveness and development.@*Methods@#A total of 45 policy documents closely related to school sexuality education, released at the national level, as samples in order to construct an analytic framework of policy objectives/instruments by analyzing their textual content.@*Results@#In terms of policy objectives, school sexuality education policies focused on educational methods guidance (32.76%), and tend to underestimate the evaluation of educational effects (5.17%) and the protection of teachers and students rights and interests (5.17%), while failed to consider the creation of educational environments (0). In regards to policy tools, school sexuality education policies often used command line tools (59.45%) and capacity building tools ( 29.71% ), while the use of system change tools (2.70%) and incentive tools was lacking (0). In respect to the adaptability of policy objectives/tools, school sexuality education policies focused on using command based tools to guide educational methods ( 68.42% ), educational process management (54.55%), student literacy improvement (38.46%), and educational resource development ( 37.50% ). However, system change tools and incentive tools were scarcely used to achieve policy goals in education effectiveness evaluation, to protect teacher student rights and interests, and to improve student literacy and comprehensive social governance.@*Conclusions@#There is some deviations in the positioning of policy objectives, the selection of policy tools, and the interaction and adaptation between the two in school sex education policies, and further improvement is needed.