Sex Education Research A Look Between the Sheets

1. Caregivers as Sexual Health Educators

2. Sex, Blood, And Redefining "Womanhood": Intervening Early Intimate Health Messages

Anna Murray

Biography

William J. Taverner, MA, CSE, an award-winning sexuality education leader, is chief editor of the American Journal of Sexuality Education and founder and president of the Sex Ed Lecture Series.

"Sex education is life learning. As our world has evolved so have the topics and approaches to sex education. Sex Education Research: A Look Between the Sheets is a timely discussion on these topics. Researchers and practitioners are delving into topics that sexuality educators and other professionals either address or avoid each day in their work. Whether a researcher, educator, or any other sexuality professional, this book provides an opportunity to hear from subject matter experts and the curious, on topics including pleasure, pornography, consent, social media, college health and more. Like the sexuality profession, this book includes a range of perspectives in research topics and current issues; many of which are not discussed in other texts."　

Tanya M. Bass, PhD, MS, MEd, CHES®, CSE; Founder, North Carolina Sexual Health Conference, Raleigh, NC

"As a recent MPH graduate, Sex Education: A Look Between the Sheets is exactly what I needed. The chapters contain important and useful knowledge for those in the field of sexuality as well as those like me trying to find their way in. The chapters are written in more of a narrative than research form, which makes it easier for newcomers like myself to be able to read and understand. The wisdom shared in these chapters makes me feel excited to join this prestigious community of sexuality educators."　

Kayla I. Henry, MPH, CHES^®

"Having consulted some of the original "sourcebooks" of classic sexuality research studies during his college years, and as present editor of the American Journal of Sexuality Education (AJSE), Taverner intuitively understands the value of strong scientific data behind meaningful theory and practice in sexology. This tenet has not always been front and center in the field of sexuality education, and this book takes a giant step in rectifying that fact. The talented editor of this book has brought together 24 significant research studies that were originally published in AJSE, asking the researchers to write about their work in a jargon-free essay format, emphasizing the stories behind their studies and explaining in clear language the value of their work. There are no complex statistical analyses or adventures in obscure phrasing to be navigated, leaving instead eminently readable and informative essays that will be of value to professionals and laypersons alike.

The range of topics covered by the studies in the book is impressively comprehensive. There are chapters on communication with LGBTQ youth, attitudes toward circumcision, sexual consent and sexual pleasure, sexuality education for children with disabilities, promotion of sexual health, explorations of the content and audiences of pornography, prevention of child sexual abuse, and several other timely issues. Interestingly, with the more conversational tone taken by the authors of these papers, there are often emotionally touching aspects of their work that show through more easily than is typical when the content is embedded in the stark technicalities of research. This makes for a refreshing and moving exploration of work that is, at its center, focused on one of the most intimate and personal parts of the human experience.

I can’t help but think that editors of all professional journals in the social sciences might be able to learn from the writing approach used to explain research in this book. For me, reading journal papers has always been a labor of love and necessity, but it sometimes feels like an onerous task to sort through the thickets of strained verbiage and technical detail to find the nuggets of knowledge and practical application I really am looking for. Perhaps good, clear expository writing could win out in all our professional communications, with the mechanics of methodology and statistical analysis being explained in appendices of various sorts for those who want to study them in detail.

This is a book that belongs in the libraries of all sexuality educators and educators-in-training. It could also teach all of us who read and write for professional journals some worthwhile lessons about the expression of the essential message."

Gary F. Kelly, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Clarkson University; Co-Author, The New Sexuality

"In his wonderful introduction to Sex Education Research: A Look Between the Sheets, Bill Taverner tells us his editorial vision: to inspire an eminently readable, jargon-free, and enjoyable collection of previously published research rewritten in a personalized essay format. That he succeeded far beyond even his own hopes and expectations was proven by own experience: once I started reading, I could not put it down. And, neither will you!"

Deborah M. Roffman, MS, CSE, CFLE; Human Sexuality Educator; Consultant; Author, most recently of The Science of Babies

"Sex Education Research is a treasure trove. The volume distills two dozen recently published sexuality research studies into easy-to-read stories. The reader is easily able to glean the study's key findings, reasons why those findings are important to our field, and implications for future research. Intervention designers, practitioners, researchers, and students of sexuality alike will find much in this rich thought-provoking volume to inform their work and inspire innovation."

Lori A. Rolleri Insignares, MSW, MPH; President, Lori Rolleri Consulting