Sexual violence and children's rights : A mixed methods study of teachers' and students' perceptions of teaching practice in social science education.

Abstract

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation in social science education is to explore teachers' and students' perceptions of teaching practice related to gender, sexuality, harassment, and abuse in upper secondary school in Norway. This is an article-based dissertation consisting of three articles and an extended abstract. Few studies have addressed teachers" and students' perceptions of teaching practice concerning sensitive issues in the mandatory subject for social science in Norwegian upper secondary school. Previous research has indicated that teaching practice on gender, sexuality, harassment and abuse varies greatly, but few studies have thoroughly examined how we can understand this variation by taking into account both teachers' personal characteristics and school culture. Previous research has indicated that social science students are motivated and engaged when learning about issues that concern them directly, involve ethical considerations or evoke emotions. However, relatively little attention has been dedicated to students' perceptions of teaching practice concerning gender, sexuality, harassment and abuse in Norwegian upper secondary school. This research project seeks to fill these knowledge gaps. This PhD project consists of two interrelated phases, including both teachers' and students' voices, based on a mixed methods approach. Phase 1 consists of personal telephone interviews with 64 social science teachers in Norwegian upper secondary schools from February to October 2018. Phase 2 consists of participatory research with leachers and students concerning the development of pedagogical and didactic methods for teaching and learning about harassment.