Browsing by Author "Rantala, Meri"

Teachers find it difficult to teach sex education. Gender and sexual minorities in particular are perceived as difficult teaching content. According to research, the sections of the textbooks on sexual and gender minorities have shortcomings: sexual and gender minorities are often presented as external groups to which students are not presumed to belong. The purpose of this study is to determine whether family-themed children's picture books can be used in school-based sex education to address gender and sexual minorities and other content in sexual education. The aim of the research questions is to determine how sexual and gender minorities are depicted in children's picture books, and how children's picture books can be utilized in school sex education. The material of this study was four Finnish children's picture books on family topics, which featured sexual and gender minorities: Ikioma perheeni, Meidän pihan perhesoppa, Poika ja hame and Sulon ja Elsin uudet naapurit. The texts of the books selected as material were analyzed using content analysis methods. Children's picture books, selected as material, can be utilized in school sexual education when dealing with gender and sexual minorities in three different ways. They can be used to provide age-appropriate information about a child's sexuality, norm-critical sex education and on an emotional level facing sex education. In addition, the books can be used to address six topics in body-emotion education. These topics are body and development; feelings; intimacy, well-being, and self-esteem; environment and other people; increase and rights.