Curricular Silence and Student Awareness: An Exploratory Study of Sexuality Education Gaps in Secondary Education Textbooks in the Province of Sindh

Abstract

Sexuality education is an important component of adolescent health, well-being, personal safety, healthy relationships, and informed decision-making. Yet in culturally conservative contexts, sexuality-related knowledge frequently remains fragmented, implicit, or excluded from formal schooling. Pakistan presents a particularly important context because discussions of sexuality are often shaped by religious, cultural, familial, and social sensitivities. In Sindh, efforts have been made to introduce Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE) and sexual and reproductive health-related content into school education, but evidence suggests a continuing gap between curriculum policy, textbook content, classroom implementation, and students' actual awareness. The present exploratory study proposes to investigate this gap through a systematic content analysis of secondary-level textbooks used in Sindh and an assessment of students' awareness of sexuality-related issues. The study conceptualizes curricular silence as the explicit absence, marginalization, euphemistic treatment, or inadequate development of age-appropriate knowledge concerning puberty, reproductive health, consent, bodily autonomy, sexual and gender-based violence, healthy relationships, menstruation, child marriage, sexually transmitted infections, and protection from abuse. A mixed-method exploratory design is proposed. Textbooks will be examined using a structured content-analysis framework, while secondary-school students will be surveyed regarding their knowledge and perceived sources of sexuality-related information. The study will also explore whether textbook silence is associated with students' dependence on informal sources such as peers, social media, and the internet. The research is expected to contribute evidence for curriculum revision, textbook development, teacher preparation, and culturally responsive sexuality education policy in Sindh.