A preliminary study of teachers' perceptions of sex education in Hong Kong preschools

In Hong Kong, once a British colony, sex has tradition ally been viewed as taboo and, as such, seldom talked about or openly discussed in public. As a result, there is reluctance on the part of most pre-to-secondary schools to implement sex education. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate teachers'perceptions of preschool sex education in Hong Kong. One kindergarten and one childcare centre were selected for this study. Eight preschool teachers were interviewed. The findings indicated that almost all participants lacked the confidence to undertake preschool sex education because they felt that they had inadequate knowledge and skills. Interestingly, the findings showed that the unmarried participants felt embarrassed when talking about sex. Nevertheless, they were willing to take up the responsibilities of the implementation of preschool sex education if they had sufficient training. Although Hong Kong (HK) was a British colony for more than 150 years and most people grew up under the influence of a Western culture, many people still perceive that the topic of sex should not be discussed publicly. This is because the Chinese have traditionally viewed sex as taboo, and as such, it is a subject seldom talked about or openly discussed in public. This deeply ingrained thinking is a major stumbling block to the implementation of sex education in many HK pre-to-secondary schools. Copyright © 2006 Early Childhood Australia.