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Author ORCID Identifier

000-0002-0261-4263

Abstract

Sexting has emerged as a normative aspect of adolescent sexual exploration in Ireland and internationally. While much attention has been given to the risks and negative aspects of sexting, contemporary literature highlights the potential positives associated with adolescent sexting. Within this precarious context, little is known about the attention sexting commands within formal education of adolescents in Ireland. To better understand teachers’ perspectives of the positionality of sexting within Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum in Ireland, the researchers employed a qualitative interpretivist approach in interviewing eight RSE teachers actively delivering sex education in Irish secondary schools. Teacher’s narratives were analysed using thematic analysis which identified the following themes: current delivery of RSE and sexting education; teachers understanding of a rights-based approach to sexting education; barriers for sexting education in the current RSE curriculum. The findings highlight teacher’s attitudes and approach to delivering ‘sexting’ as part of the RSE programme is fraught with complexities which often lead to adolescents receiving mixed, unclear messages. The study found the attention teachers afford ‘sexting’ is impacted by resources, training and development and their approach is predominantly embedded in an abstinence-based outlook. The researchers suggest that ‘sexting’ should form a mandatory part of education in the RSE curriculum, and delivered in a transformative manner, where teachers educate within a supportive school culture which recognises the ubiquitous role ‘sexting’ holds in adolescents' lives.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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