Exploring experiences of Zimbabwean teacher’s in the teaching of sex education to learners with mental retardation. A case study of a special School in Mashonaland West Province

Abstract

The main focus of this study was to explore the experiences of Zimbabwean teachers ‟s in the teaching of sex education to learner‟ learners with mental retardation. A constructivist lived experience perspective underpinned this research, in which multiple case studies were used to interact with the participants on their experience in teaching sex education to learners with mental retardation. Five participants (3 males and 2 females) all teachers were purposively sampled from a special school for the mentally retarded learners in Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and transcribed verbatim. Five themes emerged from the inductive thematic analysis of data sources. It was found that participants had a correct understanding of sex education and had correct content to be on sex education. The participants also showed that they were trained in teaching sex education to learners with mental retardation as they were able to draw relevant teaching methods for the subject to the intended beneficiaries. However, they indicated that they were facing serious challenges in teaching sex education to learners with mental retardation. They were also able to suggest strategies to enhance the teaching of sex education to learners with mental retardation. The findings of this study have the potential for education policymakers and researchers to better understand the experiences of teachers ‟s in the teaching of sex education to learners with mental retardation.