Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues

Transcription

1 Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues Karolina Czerwiec Department of Science Education, Communication and Mediation, Institute of Biology, Pedagogical University of Cracow Changes in social attitudes within society and constantly changing social transformations make education in gender identity and human sexuality a necessity. The aim of this research was examining phenomena of intersexuality and transsexuality and biological, psychological and social consequences of it in opinion of Pedagogical University Krakow Biology students. It has been shown that under the influence of teaching materials on gender identity, often negative attitudes of students of various forms of human identity have changed. According to responders sexual education should fight xenophobia. What is more, issues of inter-and transsexuality should be included in the syllabus of biology at the various stages of education. Keywords: sex education, biology curricula, social transformations, sexual identity, transsexuality, intersexuality Przemiany w zakresie obyczajowości i nieustannie zmieniające się zasady procesu socjalizacji powodują, że edukowanie w zakresie płciowości i seksualności człowieka staje się koniecznością. Celem badań było: rozpatrywanie zjawisk transseksualizmu i interseksualności oraz następstw biologicznych, psychicznych i społecznych z tym związanych w opiniach studentów biologii UP w Krakowie, ich postaw wobec wpływu pozaszkolnych modeli popularyzowania wiedzy o tożsamości płciowej. Wykazano, że pod wpływem materiałów dydaktycznych na temat tożsamości płciowej, często negatywne postawy studentów wobec rożnych przejawów tożsamości człowieka, zmieniły się. Zdaniem respondentów edukacja seksualna powinna walczyć z ksenofobią, a zagadnienia inter- i transseksualności powinny znaleźć się w zakresie treści programowych biologii na różnych etapach edukacji. Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues 122

2 Introduction Social and cultural transformations are a permanent feature of human life. An individual s behavior and reactions regarding inter alia, sexual and cultural factors are related not only to procreation, but also with the formation of the identity of each person and the perception of it by individual members of society. This research was carried out in the framework of an investigation of the problems of human biology considered in the light of social transformation and changes in the school curriculum. It consisted inter alia to obtain information on the relationship between sexual behavior in terms of biological standards and perceptions of the "norm" for students of biology. In this context, a relatively new term for education was gender identity, the analysis of which was focused primarily on human sexuality in biological and social terms. It was considered important to investigate (1) students' opinions on the range of biological intersexuality and transgender issues that should be included in school curricula and (2) what is the attitude of the respondents to the curricular changes based on the operation of these issues in society. Research method Objectives of research: (1) to determine student attitudes towards issues of human sexual identity (2) investigate students' attitudes towards the impact of extracurricular models by improving understanding of sexual identity (mainly the media) in shaping public perception of sexuality, (3) the development of teaching materials about socio-cultural transformations in order to broaden students' knowledge about sexuality. Hypotheses, methods and research tools used in the study are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Hypotheses, methods and research tools Hypotheses details 1 Media and social transformations have a significant impact on shaping public attitudes to the problems of human biology in terms of sexuality, through the promotion of certain models of behavior. 2 Biology students identify sexual education in Polish schools as important, especially in the context of issues relating to problems of human biology of sexuality. 3 According to the students opinions, there is no coverage of intersexuality and transgender in the curriculum of biology and "Education for Family Life," have a negative impact on attitudes to the problems of human biology. Research methods Research tools diagnostic survey questionnaire pedagogical experiment Thurstone attitudes scale focus interview interview questionnaire Biology students of the Pedagogical University of Cracow took part in all the studies carried out (40 students in the pedagogical experiment and the survey, 12 students in a focus interview). Selection of the research group was dictated by the fact that the student group joins the views of young people and adults who relatively recently were high school students, who in the near future also will be the teachers. The experiment was carried out under the guidance of Łobocki (2010) in order to determine whether the biology students change their attitudes towards sexual education at school under the influence of the applied experimental factors (determined by educational materials which the author's concept of research was made available to the students during the lecture in the field of biology). Thurston s attitudes scale was used in the experiment (pre and post-test), which was prepared as indicated by Marszałek (2004). In order to analyze the results of the pre- and posttest, statistical analysis was performed Biology International Vol Czerwiec

3 124 according to the instructions of Stanisz (2001). The purpose of a questionnaire (containing six open-ended questions) was to find out biology students, former students and prospective teachers opinion about the factors influencing the sexual education. Verification of hypotheses has also been made based on focus interviews conducted with two groups of students (the first group consisted of four students and in the second group there were eight students) on sexual education. The choice of research method was based on the information of Lisek-Michalska and Daniłowicz (2007). Results Analysis of the survey results on transgender and homosexuality showed that 25% of students felt that every person has the right to be happy, and that one should not prevent such people to live according to their beliefs. However, there are also many negative reviews - about 10% of students believed that homosexuals, in any case, should not have the right to adopt children, and transgender and homosexuality are too strongly promoted in the media which is unnecessary. Also, nearly 10% of the students expressed that such people should be treated with the therapy for psychiatric disorders, because such feelings and sexual behavior may be related only to a disease and problems with his or her own psyche. Survey of students on educational and social determinants of perception of sexuality showed that groups involved in the focus interview had similar opinions, so analysis of the results was carried out for both groups by combining them. The interview took place shortly after a group of students learned about transgender (classes led by a panel discussion). Participants noted the need for including the term intersexuality in the curricula. In their view, students need to be aware of people with sexual organs of both men and women and have every right to decide what sex they want to be. However, differentiation of being intersexual, transversal and transsexual is the knowledge useful in life and to speak about intersexuality in biology when discussing fetal development or genetic disorders linked with sex. In their opinion, it is very important that students have learned it at school - this would reduce the aggression against homosexual or transsexual individuals and would learn to use their cultural vocabulary. "That is why there should be a compulsory subject discussing deviations, contraception, intersexuality and mental maturity" and "a curriculum should be modified to discuss terms as intersexual individuals and transsexual individuals in biology." Pre-tests and post-tests conducted as part of the pedagogical experiment included three thematic modules: knowledge about sexuality, sexual education in schools and in the media (in this study, we posted only changes in students' attitudes with respect to statements regarding transgender and intersexuality). Results of the investigation students knowledge of teaching materials about transgender and intersexuality which were available after conducting the pre-test, showed that there had an impact on beliefs about the problems of human biology and formed a basis for the post-test. All respondents demonstrated knowledge of the phenomenon of intersexuality, 93% - the definition of gender identity, and nearly all were able to explain the concept of "femiman" and "androgyny". 75% of the students knew the position of the Church against sex change operations by transsexual individuals and was able to point out the differences between the terms M/F and F/M in the case of transgender people. Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues 124

4 There were no significant differences in the responses of the respondents in the pre- test and post-test in some of the statements concerned occurring in each of the thematic modules, such as: AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, sex determination, and disorders caused by problems of sex chromosomes. Approximately 70% of the respondents, both pre-and post-test claimed that sex determination is linked to the presence or absence of Y-chromosome. Also, they indicated that Klinefelter's syndrome is characterized by infertility, gynecomastia and testicular digenesis. About 80% of the students claimed that Turner s syndrome patients should be treated to raise the level of estrogen, which determines the complete feminization of the body and prevents the pathological consequences of their deficits. A significant change in the views of students has taken place with regard to homosexuality and transgender intersexuality. Post-test results showed that 35% of students changed attitude towards homosexual people who were earlier seen as a threat (Figure 1). Figure 1. Change in the attitudes of respondents in relation to the conclusion that homosexuality is a threat to the modern world. 55% of the respondents in the pre-test did not agree with the statement that the pathogenesis of homosexuality may be due to abnormalities in androgen levels in utero; in the post-test they changed their minds (Figure 2). Figure 2. Change in the attitudes of the respondents with regard to the conclusion that the pathogenesis of homosexuality may be due to abnormalities in androgen levels in fetal life. Biology International Vol Czerwiec

5 % of students in the post-test felt that trans-sexuality and transvestism are phenomena that deserve respect for dissimilarity, even if in the pre-test these same students had a different view (Figure 3). Figure 3. Changing the attitudes of the respondents with regard to the conclusion that transvestism and transsexualism are phenomena that deserve respect. 55% of students changed attitude toward the newborn intersex and found that the determination of sex's register should not be held within the first two months of life (Figure 4). Figure 4. Change in the attitudes of respondents in determining gender intersex infant. 20% of students changed their attitude towards the legitimacy of discussing issues of intersexuality in biology and in the post-test concluded that it is necessary to help shape appropriate attitudes of students towards this phenomenon (Figure 5). Figure 5. Change in the attitudes of respondents to discuss the merits of the issues of intersexuality on biology lessons. The post-test showed that 35% of respondents changed their attitude towards discussing transgender issues in the classroom "Education for family life." (Figure 6). Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues 126

6 Figure 6. Change in the attitudes of respondents to discuss issues of trans-sexuality in the lessons of Education for Family Life". 15% of students changed their attitudes towards raising awareness on the issue of knowledge of being intersexual. They acknowledged the need to spread information about intersexuality as a biological phenomenon that poses no threat or harm to others and it is not the result of mental disorder, even if in the post-test, it was perceived that way (Figure 7). Figure 7. Change in the attitudes of respondents to raise the awareness on knowledge of the issue of being intersexual. The post-test showed that 27.5% of students changed the attitudes towards social campaigns that overcome feelings of inferiority intersex individuals to the rest of the population and felt that they should be organized (Figure 8). Figure 8. Change in the attitudes of respondents to the organization of public campaigns for intersexual individuals. Biology International Vol Czerwiec

7 128 Initially, a lot of negative feedback was received amongst students towards transgender and intersexuality. For example, some students thought that transgender people should be isolated from society, as they are mentally disturbed. However, the use of an experiment in the form of teaching materials and lessons on transgender, caused student's to have a transformation of their approach to these issues. The results of a pedagogical experiment showed that the students of biology expanded their knowledge about transgender and intersexuality by familiarizing themselves with educational materials connected with issues of sex and gender. This resulted in a change of attitude towards the problems of sex determination and transgender that were frequently regarded as a threat to the society. Deepening the knowledge of students about transgender during their studies caused a change in the attitudes of some of them - students with a negative attitude towards the organization of public campaigns to promote tolerance to the problems of human biology of sex and gender, changed their mind due to scientific progress in this area and social transformations. The respondents also changed their attitude towards the legitimacy of discussing the issues of transgender and intersexuality in schools they decided that such information would change the negative attitudes of students towards "otherness". The respondents said that one of the lessons of biology should be dedicated not only to the biological background of both Turner syndrome and Klinefelter's syndrome, but also to the consciousness of those who are affected with it. It was also proposed to discuss these issues not only in biology lessons, but also during educational lessonsthat encouraged students to expand their knowledge about intersexual people. One of the participants of the interview, said: "There should be a separate lessons devoted to intersex people, to compensate for generally negative attitudes towards them. It is a disadvantage associated with the development of the fetus, and most people treat these people as deviants, renegades, misfits. Therefore, this subject should be discussed with students." Especially because of the negative attitudes towards gay people. One of the students gave an example in support of this opinion: "At my high school there was a lesson on the topic Homophobia. One of my colleagues has written on the board: We do not want to fags in our city, and that was it. The teacher did not commented on that and went out of the class when the bell rang. The inscription remained on the board during the whole break, and all of the students were laughing at it. All in all, the implementation of the subject failed, because it seems to me that it was still too early for it. I think it was also the teacher's fault, because he ignored the behavior of students, left it and went out." According to the participants of the interview: "The issue of transgender, intersexuality and homosexuality should be discussed in high school, as students call these phenomena aberrations and they have no idea about the background of it. They do not know that some of them are diseases because the school remains silent about those issues. I'm sure none of us did hear about it in the classroom. The students of biology at the Pedagogical University in Cracow, while studying the subject "Sexology", discuss the issues of homosexuality and transsexuality. Thus, Biology Students Attitudes to Intersexuality and Transsexuality Issues 128

8 the authors of the study, evidently have decided that educating future teachers in this area may be essential in biology classes. Moreover, the transformation of academic knowledge about sexuality at the school level is necessary due to increased public awareness in this area, increasingly popularized knowledge about transgender and actions of the governments to issue laws, directives, and regulations at national level as for the European Union. Conclusions 1. Sex education should fight xenophobia, teach tolerance, and shape appropriate attitudes of students towards the problems of the human biology of sex. It should also, in this regard, take into account the latest research and social transformations. 2. According to the students of biology, textbooks ignore the issues of sexuality. Thus, texts do not encourage the development of student attitudes in this field. 3. Educational materials on human sexuality reinforced the level of knowledge of students. Some students who treated intersexuality and transgenderism as a risk have changed their mind and decided that there is a need to introduce these issues into school curricula. 4. Information on the biological basis of human sexual identity should be updated. The curricula and textbooks should be characterized by an adequate level of educational transformation of knowledge about the definition of human sex, gender identity and tolerance for diversity and biodiversity. Bibliography: Lisek-Michalska, J. and P. Daniłowicz. (2007). Zogniskowany wywiad grupowy. Studia nad metodą. Wydawnictwo UŁ, Łódź. Łobocki, M. (2010). Metody i techniki badań pedagogicznych, Wydawnictwo Impuls, Kraków. Marszałek, A. (2004). Cechy konstytutywne i metody badania postaw. Edukacja Biologiczna i Środowiskowa. Innowacje. Inspiracje, nr 2-3 (10-11). Stanisz, A. (2001). Podstawy statystyki dla prowadzących badania naukowe. Odcinek 32: Test McNemary. W: Medycyna Praktyczna, nr 12. Karolina Czerwiec s scientific interests focus on human biology, health education, human gender and problems of sexual identity. Her research is connected with teachers and students at all levels of education, as well as the general public. She is also interested in: political and social directions to raise awareness about gender identity in society; formal and non-formal sex education; outschool teaching and popularization of knowledge models about the human body and their influence on attitudes and convictions on society. She was a biology teacher at high school and junior high school as well as a science teacher at a primary school. Now, she has the classes of biology didactics in the Institute of Biology Pedagogical University of Cracow. Editor s note: Three popular American articles by biology educators are: Fausto-Sterling, Anne. (1993). The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough. The Sciences. 33(2): Fausto-Sterling, Anne. (2000). The Five Sexes Revisited. The Sciences. 40(4): Blackless, Melanie, Anthony Charuvastra, Amanda Derryck, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Karl Lauzanne, & Ellen Lee. (2000). How sexually dimorphic are we? Review and synthesis. American Journal of Human Biology. 12(2): Biology International Vol Czerwiec