The Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Sex Education in the Preschool Curriculum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Research aims
This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in implementing sex education in the preschool curriculum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Relationship to previous research works
Cultural bias and social binding are central to how sex education is taught to children, and so they need to be considered (Campos, 2002). However, despite important links to culture, in reality the influence of culture may act as a barrier to conversations about sex education (Kenny and Wurtele, 2008). Sex education in the Islamic paradigm is not just about the physical acts, but includes other values such as morality, relationships, hygiene and self-protection (Al-Ghazali, 1975). In the KSA children need to be taught not only in a culturally appropriate way, but also in an age-appropriate way (Al-Qadi, 2006; Ashraah et al., 2013).
Theoretical and conceptual framework
This research is interpreted from sociocultural theory perspective.
Paradigm, methodology and methods
This is an interpretive research with Methods research that are used. The data are collected by two methods ‘questionnaires and interviews’.
Ethical Considerations
Approval was obtained from the University of Sheffield Ethics Committee. A full information letter was provided to all participants, assuring them that their participation in the study would be kept completely confidential, and that all the data would have identifying information removed before analysis.
Main finding or discussion
Implementing sex education in the KSA, in particular at a young age, will need to be done with due regard for the needs of children and the unique sociocultural issues that exist within the KSA.
Implications, practice or policy
This research presents the beliefs, values and social and cultural world experiences of the participants towards this topic. The main findings have implications that children need to learn about sex education, which is very important for them.