An intersectional examination of how educator positionality and school location shape the delivery of culturally sensitive sexual health education in Dutch secondary schools
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2025-06-25
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en
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This master’s thesis, conducted at Radboud University Nijmegen, examines how educator positionality (age, gender, race, class, culture, religion, background, experience, perspectives, and biases) and the geographical context of Dutch secondary schools influence culturally sensitive sexual health education. Using an intersectional framework, the study shows these factors do not operate in isolation but interact to shape both communication style and content.
The research combines 11 in-depth interviews with sexual health experts and five ethnographic classroom observations across schools in Hoorn, Culemborg, Velp, and Rotterdam. Findings reveal that younger educators often display more openness and cultural adaptability, while older ones rely on familiar frameworks. Gender and race influence delivery style, with female educators more likely to stress feminist viewpoints. Racial homogeneity often led to blind spots regarding student diversity. Religion shaped comfort levels with topics like LGBTQ+ rights. These identity traits further shaped educators’ perspectives, experiences, and biases.
Geographical context also mattered: multicultural urban settings required nuanced strategies to manage diversity, while rural settings saw overlooked differences. Socioeconomic status had subtler impacts on class dynamics.
The thesis highlights that effective sexual health education depends on who teaches, how they relate to students, and where teaching occurs. It recommends self-reflexivity training, diverse teaching teams, and adaptable curricula.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen