Professional Development on Sexual Health Education Is Associated With Coverage of Sexual Health Topics.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Education Research
• Health Education

Background:

• Sexual health education is crucial for preventing negative outcomes associated with sexual behavior.
• Limited data exist on the association between teacher professional development (PD) and the instruction of sexual health content.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between teacher characteristics, PD receipt, and the teaching of sexual health domains and topics.
• To compare the coverage of specific sexual health topics based on PD receipt among teachers covering the domain.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study, a national survey of middle and high school health education courses (n=328).
• Analyzed associations between teacher qualifications, PD in four sexual health domains, and the teaching of these domains and specific topics.
• Conducted secondary analysis comparing topic coverage by PD status among teachers who reported teaching the domain.

Main Results:

• Teachers with health education degrees or certification were more likely to teach sexual health content.
• A strong link was found between teacher PD and the teaching of nearly all sexual health topics, increasing both the number of topics and time devoted to the subject.

Conclusions:

• Professional development positively impacts the scope and depth of sexual health topic coverage in middle and high school courses.
• Increased investment in PD for sexual health education is recommended to enhance classroom instruction.