Sexual Education of Palestinian University Students: Between Perceptions and Cultural Barriers

This study explored the sexual education perceptions in the Palestinian society, as perceived by Al-Quds University students. Perceptions regarding sexual education were evaluated using an index with 50 items, which was developed by the researchers. It was administrated to 369 undergraduate students who were selected using the stratified method. The findings show that students at Al-Quds University were moderately knowledgeable of sexual education; females had fewer knowledge of sexual education than males. The statistics show that gender, school, academic year and religious commitment are significant predictors of students' perceptions of sexual education. Sexual education is a sensitive and sometimes taboo concept in the conservative Palestinian society that adheres to its religious, cultural and moral values.