Publication Date

Spring 5-3-2025

Document Type

Student Project

First Advisor

Bergan-Roller, Heather E.

Degree Name

B.S. (Bachelor of Science)

Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Abstract

It is well established that sexual health is a crucial component of individual health and wellbeing. The WHO defines sexual health with emphasis on the equal importance of positive sexual experiences and absence of negative sexual health outcomes (WHO, 2006). In the classroom, instructors play a vital role in helping students learn, such as those heading towards health fields. The current study investigated what instructors’ practices and perceptions of teaching sexual pleasure are in undergraduate A&P courses. We used the Woodbury and Gess-Newsome’s Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform Model as a framework and adapted for the context of sexual pleasure. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted looking at instructors’ self-reported practices and perceptions. Data was analyzed using a codebook and coded to consensus between two researchers. Results indicate that instructors find it difficult to approach the topic of sexual pleasure in A&P, though they report many benefits about teaching it. These results led to three recommendations: incorporating content into relevant chapters, utilizing peer-reviewed sources during discussion, and using inclusive teaching models. Future work should include larger-scale quantitative approaches that look at the perceptions of students’ sexual pleasure before and after taking an A&P course.

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