Elementary school science teachers’ responses to problem scenarios related to teaching sexuality-related topics

As the school National Science Curriculum in Turkey includes topics such as human reproduction, hormonal growth and adolescent health, elementary school science teachers (ESTs) are required to teach sexuality-related topics to their students. However, studies have shown that teachers in Turkey, like their counterparts in many other countries, have little or no information about how to approach such matters and feel constrained from talking about sexuality in the classroom because sexuality has traditionally been perceived as a taboo. Informed by Foucault’s analysis of sexuality and power, this study examined how five ESTs responded to problem scenarios related to teaching and discussing sexuality-related topics in the classroom. Findings suggest that while ESTs did discuss, directly or indirectly, sexuality-related topics and issues in their classrooms, their pedagogical strategies resonated with patriarchal discourses and were influenced by a fear of the serious consequences they might face by troubling the social norms and taboos currently surrounding sexuality in Turkey today.