ABSTRACT
Although sexuality education is a lifelong process (Goldfarb & Constantine, 2011), the vast majority of formal programs are designed for and implemented with adolescents, typically focusing on pre-teens through those in their early twenties (Marques, Goldfarb, Mauldon, & Constantine, 2015). Sexuality education can play an important role in helping young people navigate the cognitive, social, and
emotional transitions and challenges of adolescence and prepare them to be sexually healthy adults. There is little consistency among programs, however, reflecting great diversity among the philosophies about the role of sexuality education among the people and organizations that design the programs, as well as the goals and objectives of the various curricula. Although often used interchangeably, the terms “comprehensive sexuality education” and “sex education” denote different approaches, and actually represent competing visions for the field that date back to the early 20th century (Goldfarb, 2009).
