Utilising the Australian Curriculum and Stakeholder Perspectives to Highlight Best Practice Relationships and Sexuality Education

Transformations in pedagogy and curriculum often necessitate further research investigations. This prospect gains traction with the recent release of the updated Australian Curriculum (Version 9), which places significant emphasis on revising Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) content and its method of delivery.

Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) is an essential component of human development. Content in this subject area aims to provide young people with the skills and knowledge to make intentional, safe, and respectful decisions about their bodies, relationships, and well-being.

The Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education mandates RSE through a key focus area, from Foundation to Year 10, delivered through a student-centred, whole school approach with a focus on promoting diversity and developing students’ health literacy capacities. The intentions of the Australian Curriculum set to develop independent, autonomous young adults with the capacity to make informed, nuanced decisions.

Historic and contemporary evidence within the Australian education system suggests student RSE outcomes do not meet international standards of best practice, with students and parents alike lamenting the delivery of such content. These outcomes may be due to a lack of teacher training and low overall confidence with the subject area.

The following question has emerged for further consideration: How can teachers utilise curriculum frame works and stakeholder perceptions to enact the health literacy deliverables within the RSE focus area of the AC: HPE? The proposed research intends to use two qualitative research approaches to explore the research question through a single school case study in the Australian Capital Territory.

First, a comparative document analysis will be utilised to map the intentions and content outcomes of the Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education against an international framework of best practice. Following this, stakeholder perspectives will be gathered through an Appreciative Inquiry process with the intent of highlighting practice which ‘brings light’ to the subject area. Finally, teachers and school leaders will be provided the opportunity to co-create meaning and develop intentions and outcomes to improve practice in RSE content delivery.

A qualitative action research approach using an Appreciative Inquiry methodology will be utilised given its ability to engage stakeholders, find the strengths in an organisation, and create meaningful change. An Appreciative Inquiry process is centred around four ‘cycles’ (referred to as the ‘4-D’ cycle), utilising an iterative of co-creation to bring out the potential in an organisation and develop directions that is strengths-based. This will allow key stakeholders: students, teachers, and school leaders the opportunity to co-create meaning and develop intentions and outcomes to improve practice in RSE delivery in their context.

The research aims to address the following question:

• How can teachers utilise curriculum frame works and stakeholder perceptions to enact the health literacy deliverables within the RSE focus area of the AC:HPE?

Check out Katrina Marson’s Churchill Fellow Report https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/katrina-marson-act-2018/