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ERIC Number: EJ1409944
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-4523
EISSN: EISSN-1479-5795
Teaching God's Design: Exploring the Rhetorical and Relational Goals of Evangelical Leaders during Premarital Education about Sex
Arielle Leonard Hodges; Sara LaBelle
Communication Education, v73 n1 p64-83 2024
This study sought to advance the growing body of research on communication and instruction outside of the college classroom by exploring the rhetorical and relational goals of religious leaders facilitating premarital education about sex (i.e., sexuality, sexual health, and intimacy). Specifically, 47 evangelical Christians who had taught premarital education content (e.g., counseling, courses, and retreats) completed open-ended surveys regarding their goals when communicating about sex and the challenges or barriers to accomplishing their goals. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 16 of the 47 participants about their experiences with the topic. A thematic analysis revealed that participants sought to "counter myths and misconceptions," "teach the emotional-spiritual and redirect the physical," and "create a safe space." Moreover, the challenges they experienced included (couples') discomfort, limited time and expertise, and perceived conflicting teacher-student goals. In all, their efforts to teach "God's design" and the challenges they perceived were filtered through their Christian ideology, indicating the need to continue exploring the role of social identity in teaching-learning contexts.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A