Teachers’ responses to harmful sexual behaviour in primary school – findings from a digital survey among primary school teachers

Abstract

Existing research points to a gap in knowledge regarding what teachers in primary schools know about harmful sexual behaviour, and about how they react and deal with this behaviour in the school setting. This article sets out to better understand this gap based on results from a digital survey carried out among teachers in primary schools in South-Eastern Norway. Data were collected from 15 primary schools with a total of 159 respondents from a selection of 376 teachers, which makes up a response rate of 42.3%. Findings from the survey show that teachers report lack of knowledge about children who display problematic and harmful sexual behaviour, and that they struggle to find an appropriate response towards the behaviour when observed in school. The article identifies both individual and systemic responses in schools that may impede early intervention towards harmful sexual behaviour.