Introduction
The intended research paper aims to discuss the institutional barriers and discourse challenges of implementing sex education in conservative states of the US. The major puzzle is that academic research demonstrates that properly structured sex education lessons in schools change the perception of sexual relations and diminish the number of abortions and HIV infections (Alemansour et al., 2019; Astle et al., 2021; Bialystok et al., 2020). The preliminary research question is “What could explain the reluctance of parents and legislators in conservative states to accept sex education in schools?”. To correctly answer the main question, some sub-questions are also needed. There are two of them: “What are the possible drawbacks and limitations of the abstinence-only-until-marriage approach?” and “What features of the discourse on the rejection of sex education allow for compromises?”.
The Chosen Research Design
It is important to declare how the study is designed in qualitative research. In my study about sex education, hermeneutic phenomenology is one of the most suitable options. This approach focuses on the real-life experiences of participants and their interpretation by a researcher (Ramsook, 2018). It is an interpretive kind of study because it acknowledges the absence of objective, observable reality but recognizes the differences between how people see the world (Packard, 2018). The benefit of this method is that it perceives researchers as “co-constructors” of meaning, giving more freedom on how to approach scholarly investigation. Another advantage of hermeneutic phenomenology is contextual: the opinions and values of conservative citizens are usually ignored by researchers. The confidence in scientific knowledge and progressive policing may be the reason to judge conservative people as uneducated and uncomprehending. However, it is important to listen to them and try to find avenues for compromise.
However, there are some valid concerns about the use of hermeneutic phenomenology. First of all, because the data collection process is considered subjective, it becomes hard for journals’ editorial boards to evaluate the validity of the information (Fuster Guillen, 2018). Secondly, the philosophical basis of this method is complicated and ambiguous. The writings of Martin Heidegger and Edmund Husserl are almost untranslatable from the German language and require a decent knowledge of classic philosophy. Therefore, there is always a danger that a researcher will wrongly understand the essence of hermeneutic phenomenology and consequently produce inaccurate results.
The Alternative Type of Research Design
It should be noted that phenomenological research has two types: transcendental and hermeneutic phenomenology. The latter was chosen as the main method, while the former deserves additional scholarly description. The ontological assumption of transcendental phenomenology is that reality is internal to the knower (Neubauer et al., 2019). At the same time, transcendental phenomenology demands exploring the world descriptively without engaging in interpretation. On the one hand, although such an approach recognizes the internal nature of reality, it separates the researcher from the world by allowing only descriptive observation (bias-free) (Neubauer et al., 2019). On the other hand, it seems that the task of my study to find compromises requires reflections and interpretations. Thus, hermeneutic phenomenology is the better type of phenomenological design for these purposes.
Conclusion
Summarizing all the above, using hermeneutic phenomenology as the research design suits the needs of my study. The main idea after this design is that lived experience presents the interpretive field in which the researcher is an active participant. By using specific terminology and methods, the answer to the research question will present an elaborate discussion of the views and perceptions of conservatives on sex education policies in schools. This analysis through self-reflection will be academically relevant for sociologists, political scientists, and policymakers.
References
Alemansour, M., Donohue, A., Shellum, L., & Thackray, S. (2019). Sex education in schools. The Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, 20(3), 467-468. Web.
Astle, S., McAllister, P., Emanuels, S., Rogers, J., Toews, M., & Yazedjian, A. (2021). College students’ suggestions for improving sex education in schools beyond ‘blah blah blah condoms and STDs’. Sex Education, 21(1), 91-105. Web.
Bialystok, L., Wright, J., Berzins, T., Guy, C., & Osborne, E. (2020). The appropriation of sex education by conservative populism. Curriculum Inquiry, 50(4), 330-351. Web.
Fuster Guillen, D. E. (2019). Qualitative Research: Hermeneutical Phenomenological Method. Journal of Educational Psychology-Propositos y Representaciones, 7(1), 217-229. Web.
Neubauer, B. E., Witkop, C. T., & Varpio, L. (2019). How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on medical education, 8(2), 90-97. Web.
Packard, M. D. (2018). Why I am not a performativist (yet). Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 9, 39-44. Web.
Ramsook, L. (2018). A methodological approach to hermeneutic phenomenology. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(1), 14-24. Web.