Drama and its impact on parent-child communication skills: discussing sex and sexual health education

Standing

Undergraduate

Type of Proposal

Oral Research Presentation

Type of Proposal

Visual Presentation (Poster, Installation, Demonstration)

Challenges Theme

Safeguarding Healthy Great Lakes

Faculty

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Faculty Sponsor

Michelle MacArthur

Proposal

Research Question: How can dramatic role-play impact parent-child relationships and communication skills when discussing sexual health education?

In the past several years, the Ontario Sexual Health Education curriculum has seen many changes. According to the Ontario Physical Health Education Association (OPHEA), many parents knew a that a newer edition was overdue considering before 2010, the most current one was from 1998 (OPHEA, Addressing Human Development). In a survey conducted by OPHEA, 85% of parents agree that sexual health education should be provided in school (Ontario Students Deserve a Current Curriculum). Even with substantial research demonstrating the amount of parental support for sexual health education in schools, it is not largely discussed in many households. Although parents desire to open up these conversations their children, studies show that parents admitted to providing little or no sexual health education to their children (Weaver et. al, 30). We believe there is room to combine the dramatic arts while teaching sexual health education. In a study called Project Tomorrow; teenagers said that the implementation of drama workshop in sexual education taught them to think critically, and gave them power to make better decisions (Kafewo, 205). This is when we began to question how it would be possible to affect change in the lives of youth when discussing and informing them about sexual health education. We found that the most common theme was parental involvement. Children repeated that their parents set an example of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, and that their families are the first people to influence their ways of thinking (Michaelson et. al, 5). In this project, we will explore the nature and relationship between the dramatic arts and its impact on communication skills and family ties. Through devised workshops and surveys we will collect and analyse data to either validate or discredit the concept that dramatic arts can improve and assist parents in discussing sexual health with their children.

Presentation is available at: https://youtu.be/E_ZywNsCCTM?list=PLs_4xnKaG9Y8qg6Y2xUpTP85ku7c-TsYR

Start Date

31-3-2017 1:00 PM

End Date

31-3-2017 2:00 PM

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Mar 31st, 1:00 PM Mar 31st, 2:00 PM

Drama and its impact on parent-child communication skills: discussing sex and sexual health education

Research Question: How can dramatic role-play impact parent-child relationships and communication skills when discussing sexual health education?

In the past several years, the Ontario Sexual Health Education curriculum has seen many changes. According to the Ontario Physical Health Education Association (OPHEA), many parents knew a that a newer edition was overdue considering before 2010, the most current one was from 1998 (OPHEA, Addressing Human Development). In a survey conducted by OPHEA, 85% of parents agree that sexual health education should be provided in school (Ontario Students Deserve a Current Curriculum). Even with substantial research demonstrating the amount of parental support for sexual health education in schools, it is not largely discussed in many households. Although parents desire to open up these conversations their children, studies show that parents admitted to providing little or no sexual health education to their children (Weaver et. al, 30). We believe there is room to combine the dramatic arts while teaching sexual health education. In a study called Project Tomorrow; teenagers said that the implementation of drama workshop in sexual education taught them to think critically, and gave them power to make better decisions (Kafewo, 205). This is when we began to question how it would be possible to affect change in the lives of youth when discussing and informing them about sexual health education. We found that the most common theme was parental involvement. Children repeated that their parents set an example of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, and that their families are the first people to influence their ways of thinking (Michaelson et. al, 5). In this project, we will explore the nature and relationship between the dramatic arts and its impact on communication skills and family ties. Through devised workshops and surveys we will collect and analyse data to either validate or discredit the concept that dramatic arts can improve and assist parents in discussing sexual health with their children.

Presentation is available at: https://youtu.be/E_ZywNsCCTM?list=PLs_4xnKaG9Y8qg6Y2xUpTP85ku7c-TsYR