GENDER DIFFERENTIATED RECEPTIVITY TO SEXUALITY EDUCATION CURRICULA BYADOLESCENTS

Teenagers comprise a substantial proportion of the 'at risk' populatio n 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 educ ation curricula. The variable of receptivity along gender lines to sex uality education programs is explored and reported in this study. An i nstrument was constructed to measure key constitutive variables in the dimensions of meaning and attitude, and administered to a sample of W estern 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 educa tion curricula between male and female high school students; that rece ptivity, irrespective of gender, rises with increasing curriculum prov ision 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 curric ula.