Lehn Elisabeth Walsøe, Chahboun Sobh, Page Alexander Gamst
Institute of Pedagogy, Queen Maud University College, Trondheim, Norway.
Department of Social Work, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Front Psychol. 2023 Jul 19;14:1212456. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1212456. eCollection 2023.
Many educators and pedagogues around the world face challenging situations in their everyday work. Being caught off guard when children begin to explore their bodies and show curiosity about body parts and sexual issues is one of the most uncomfortable realities in the work of educating our children and can generate a series of worrying questions, such as, "Is this child* normal? Should I stop him/ her from masturbating? What should I tell him/her?. Although talking to children about body changes and sexual matters may seem strange or embarrassing, providing correct and age-appropriate information is one of the most important things kindergarten employees can do to ensure that children grow up protected, healthy and safe in their bodies. The current study is based on empirical evidence from focus group interviews with 18 kindergarten teachers from four different kindergartens. The aim is to provide a real overview regarding kindergarten employees' experiences when it comes to their work with sexual development in small children. The findings show that sexuality is still a taboo even in western societies, as it is usually linked to abuse or pathological behavior. Additionally, key information about lack of focus on these topics in pedagogical educational programs is provided. Furthermore, the informants highlight the importance of knowledge and resources for them to feel in control and in confidence to face these challenges. Future directions and tips are provided to improve the educational field and ensure a healthy and balanced development which is after all part of all children's rights.
世界各地的许多教育工作者和教师在日常工作中都面临着具有挑战性的情况。当孩子们开始探索自己的身体并对身体部位和性问题表现出好奇时，毫无防备是教育孩子工作中最令人不安的现实之一，并且会引发一系列令人担忧的问题，例如，“这个孩子正常吗？我应该阻止他/她自慰吗？我该告诉他/她什么？”。虽然与孩子们谈论身体变化和性问题可能看起来奇怪或尴尬，但提供正确且适合其年龄的信息是幼儿园工作人员为确保孩子们在身体方面得到保护、健康和安全地成长所能做的最重要的事情之一。当前的研究基于对来自四所不同幼儿园的18名幼儿园教师进行焦点小组访谈所得的实证证据。目的是就幼儿园工作人员在幼儿性发育方面的工作经验提供一个真实的概述。研究结果表明，即使在西方社会，性仍然是一个禁忌，因为它通常与虐待或病态行为相关联。此外，还提供了关于在教学教育项目中缺乏对这些主题关注的关键信息。此外，受访者强调了知识和资源对他们感到能够掌控并自信面对这些挑战的重要性。提供了未来的方向和建议，以改善教育领域并确保健康和平衡的发展，毕竟这是所有儿童权利的一部分。
