In this master’s thesis, we examine the integration of sex education into the curricula of compulsory subjects in Slovenian primary schools. The main aim of the thesis is to analyse how objectives, learning standards, proposed content, and cross-curricular connections related to sex education are incorporated into curricular documents.
The theoretical part first defines sexuality as a multidimensional concept and presents the distinction between essentialist and social constructivist approaches. In doing so, it demonstrates that sexuality extends beyond purely biological dimensions, as it also encompasses social, cultural, and historical factors. Furthermore, the concept of gender is addressed through a distinction between sex and gender, as well as their relationship to gender socialisation, gender identity, and social gender norms.
The following section defines sex education in accordance with international guidelines that emphasise a comprehensive approach to sexuality, while also highlighting its importance during childhood and adolescence. The theoretical part concludes with a presentation of the integration of sex education into the Slovenian educational system, where it is treated as a cross-curricular area, together with an overview of relevant research in this field.
The empirical part analyses the curricula of compulsory subjects in Slovenian primary schools from the perspective of the integration of sex education as a cross-curricular connection. In this context, the study examines which aspects of comprehensive sexuality education are included in individual sections of subject curricula, how these aspects are interconnected, and which aspects are not addressed.
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