A Socio-ecological Approach to Understanding Norms of Peer-on-peer Harmful Sexual Behaviours in UK Schools and Colleges

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Stage 1 of this project will investigate general public perceptions of sexual abuse victims and perpetrators. Thisstage will also determine whether the public perceive the media to normalise sexual abuse in society. Stage 2 willexplore teacher, pupil, and parent perceptions and experiences of peer-on-peer harmful sexual behaviours (HSB)in UK secondary schools and further education colleges, through a series of in-depth conversations. This stage willalso investigate additional education staff and local community perceptions of HSB between peers in thesesettings. The current literature only explores peer-on-peer HSB in isolation to one specific measurement, such asteacher or student perceptions. However, this project will capture the full complexities of HSB by considering thatyouth behaviour is influenced by the immediate and larger environment. This project overall aims to determine howUK secondary schools and colleges promote and challenge peer-on-peer HSB, while also reflecting on broadersocietal attitudes towards this issue. Schools often lack confidence and skill when dealing with HSB, frequentlyfailing to act on disclosures. It is important to research HSB in secondary schools and colleges to obtain a betterunderstanding of how these educational institutions can stop normalising HSB and to discover new ways tostrengthen their prevention efforts. Whilst outside the scope of this project, in the long-term, this research thereforehas the potential to make a difference on the lives of young people, through informing HSB prevention efforts ineducation and encouraging pupils to report HSB if they witness or experience it.