Puberty is a process of maturation of the human body and is characterized by accelerated growth of the body, development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the beginning of ability to reproduce. It is a sequence of biological processes that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. Girls start puberty earlier than boys, on average between ten and eleven years of age. Boys start puberty at eleven or twelve years of age. Primary sexual characteristics, sexual organs, mature during puberty and secondary sexual characteristics develop. Primary sexual characteristics are present from birth and are specific to each sex. They are sexual organs. Secondary sexual characteristics develop during puberty and include changes in height and composition of the body, growth of breasts, testicles, and penis development, and body hair and voice change. These signs mark the beginning of puberty.
Pupils encounter the word puberty in the 4th grade of elementary school. The topic is covered in the curriculum for Science and engineering in the field called the human. The main goal covering this topic is: “Students can describe puberty and changes in sexual development in girls and boys.” Teaching and learning about puberty begin in elementary school to reach as many children as possible. It is recommended that learning about it begins before the actual beginning of puberty. Through the years, the knowledge they gained should deepen and become more complex.
During puberty, changes happen in the physical and emotional fields. Adults, teachers, and parents must be open to children's questions and dilemmas, problems and confusions that puberty brings. We should talk to them sincerely and openly about it and should be ready to help them. When children understand what is happening to them and why, they develop more positive self-esteem. Lessons can be supported by different didactic tools. A textbook is a didactic tool that contains scientific and professional content. It is designed following the national curriculum for a specific subject. Learning materials meant for elementary school and younger learners in their first years of schooling must encourage the development of different areas, such as social, moral, emotional, and cognitive areas. When choosing teaching materials, attention must be paid to the fact that the teaching materials are suitable for students, that the materials are written clearly and concisely, and that the materials are written according to the curriculum. Teachers must also pay attention to the effects and aims achieved with the usage of the textbook they chose. In the master's thesis, the currently approved textbooks for science and technology in the 4th grade of elementary school were analyzed. We wanted to determine whether the textbook materials are suitable concerning content and didactic. We also reviewed teachers' perspectives on teaching the topic of puberty in the 4th grade of elementary school. As a research tool in the descriptive method of empirical qualitative research, an in-depth semi-structured interview was used. The sample was target-selected and included twenty fourth-grade elementary school teachers from various environments and parts of Slovenia.
The research showed that not all currently approved fourth-grade science and technology textbooks include puberty topics. The ones that include the topic, cover it briefly. The topic is supported by one or two pictures that complement the text. Some textbooks also include tasks on this topic. We found that teachers dedicate from two hours a year to ten hours a month to the topic. Most attention is paid to the physical changes that occur during this period, as well as emotional and behavioral changes. They emphasize understanding of these changes. When teaching this topic, working in groups or whole-class form is used as a teaching form. The teaching method used is usually conversation or explanation. Teachers’ opinions are that the textbooks used cover the topic much too scarcely although the content is professionally adequate. According to teachers’ opinion, the students are initially reserved to talk about the topic. After the discussion and explanation, however, they relax and participate because they are very interested in the topic.
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