ERIC Number: EJ865871
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Aug
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-1811
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Using a College Human Sexuality Course to Combat Homophobia
Rogers, Anissa; McRee, Nick; Arntz, Diana L.
Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, v9 n3 p211-225 Aug 2009
The present study seeks to identify factors among university students that may be associated with homophobic attitudes and whether homophobia may be reduced by educational interventions, such as knowledge-based curricula found in college sexuality courses. Participants were 128 undergraduate students attending a small, private university in the northwestern region of the United States. At the beginning and end of the fall semester 2004, survey packets consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Sexual Opinion Survey, the Homophobia Scale, a sexual knowledge survey, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory were administered to students attending a human sexuality class and a comparison group of students enrolled in professional and social science introductory courses. Relative to the comparison group, homophobia levels significantly decreased over the course of the semester among students attending the sexuality class. The effect of attending the class on reducing homophobia was partially mediated by an increase in self-reported knowledge about sexual matters. Taken together, these results suggest that the knowledge-based curriculum of sexuality courses may play an important role in affecting broader attitudes about sexuality among college students, including attitudes about homosexuality. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Sex Education, Private Colleges, Sex Role, Social Sciences, Homosexuality, Social Attitudes, Social Bias, Consciousness Raising, Student Attitudes, Questionnaires, Attitude Measures, Knowledge Level, Sexuality, Comparative Analysis, Instructional Effectiveness, Gender Differences, Religious Factors
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Bem Sex Role Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A