Gender differentiated receptivity to sexuality education curricula by adolescents

Teenagers comprise a substantial proportion of the 'at risk' population for sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) and AIDS. They are, also, potentially amenable to the curriculum influences of the high school, suggesting that a high profile needs to be accorded to sexuality education curricula. The variable of receptivity along gender lines to sexuality education programs is explored and reported in this study. An instrument was constructed to measure key constitutive variables in the dimensions of meaning and attitude, and administered to a sample of Western Australian high school students (N = 533). Data were subjected to a two-way ANOVA with sex and school as the dependent variables. It was found that there are differences in receptivity to sexuality education curricula between male and female high school students; that receptivity, irrespective of gender, rises with increasing curriculum provision and with males showing higher gains when compared with females. The findings have implications for policy makers and administrators in providing access to extensive school-based sexuality education curricula.