Educación sexual integral en EGB: perspectivas de directivos escolares de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

Given the significant lack of research on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that considers the involvement of school leadership teams—despite their key role in implementing CSE policies in educational institutions—this study aims to describe the perspectives of school principals in the city of Cuenca regarding the provision of CSE in Basic General Education (BGE). The study was conducted using a quantitative, exploratory-descriptive approach. A sample of 46 school principals from 11 public and 8 private institutions located in the urban area of Cuenca was used. For data collection, an adapted version of the "Questionnaire for Assessing Teachers’ Professional Identity Regarding Sexuality Education" was used. This version considered the six dimensions of comprehensive sexuality education as defined by the International Planned Parenthood Federation: gender, sexual and reproductive health, sexual citizenship, pleasure, violence, diversity, and relationships. The results showed that, in general, principals’ level of knowledge about sexuality education is relatively low. However, they demonstrated a positive attitude toward addressing CSE across its various dimensions and expressed disagreement with negative beliefs about sexuality education. These findings offer valuable insights for revising policies that encourage school leaders to develop initiatives for implementing CSE in their educational institutions.