Acceptability and Evaluation of Contraception: the Board Game Barbara Hastings-Asatourian October 2002

Sex Education “Despite the efforts of the Department of Education to integrate sound sex education into the curriculum in a way that engages young people, it would seem to be failing. Research indicates that young people receive sex education in a piecemeal way, and that the connections between information and behaviour and consequence are 'not getting through'.”

Evidence of problems with SRE BMA, HEA and the Sex Education Forum (1997) hool_sex_education.htm Teenage Pregnancy Unit (1999) orts/pdfs/teen_preg.pdf DFEE (2000)(now the DFES) National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV (DoH 2001) PHLS (2001 and now 2002) ons/sti_report2001.pdf

Sources of Evidence for its acceptability/effectiveness Qualitative and quantitative data –comments and numbers “Lay” and “expert” opinion. User opinion - students, teachers, others Media reviews and reports Direct / spontaneous responses Evaluation forms Press releases

What do young people think? Comments collated from evaluation forms POSITIVE “Very good design” “Gives group interaction” “Gives opportunity for talks” “Gives useful websites” “Better for small group work” “Good idea for youth clubs” NEGATIVE “Don’t like board games - boring” “Needs more on personal relationships”

Pupils/Students “It was better than formal lessons, it was fun and very educational” “It was very interactive and much more educational. We were even asking questions to the male teachers which we wouldn’t normally do” “It’s a very good idea. You don’t have to talk about anything personal. It’s for all types of races and sexes of people”

“ Instead of having a teacher explain things, it was more like talking to your friends - if you’re a quiet person it may be hard to talk about sex. The game provides a way of talking about it without embarrassment” (14 year old girl) “I’d rather do it on a board game” (13 year old girl) “It’s just what we need to talk about at the minute” (14 year old boy)

What do teachers think? “ The children thought it was superb, they liked the fact that they played it in small groups” “What this takes forward is the idea that they are in control, they are the decision makers, and the more they know and understand, the better will be those decisions…this is good education” (Head Teacher)

Direct response from teachers “...very well received indeed by the students in year 10 and 11….Our local health visitors have also been much impressed by them. The game is by far and away the best material I have ever used with young people” (SRE Teacher) “ The general consensus.. praise, at last a fun, relaxed and INTERESTING tool for teaching PSD” (SRE teacher)

Press releases from opponents to SRE “ This week saw a watershed of perversion and child abuse...more suitable to an Anne Summers Sex Party than a class full of children” “ This game is just corrupting. The idea is for children to work their way around a board using counters in the shape of different contraceptives. In any other setting an adult who asked a child to play a game like this would be arrested”