A Multiple Case Examination of Sexuality in Counselor Education: Pedagogy, Ideology, and Discourse
In this study, I explored the role and function of counselor educators' ideology in their sexuality counseling pedagogy, as demonstrated by teaching philosophy, curriculum, and teaching strategies. In line with my theoretical framework, queer feminist pedagogy, I employed qualitative multicase methodology with six counselor educators, bounded by the shared phenomena of teaching sexuality-focused counseling curricula. I performed critical discourse analysis on the dialogic and textual discourse generated from interviews and curricular document mining to identify ideologies embedded in educators' discourse. The analysis revealed the considerable influence of personal ideology on educators' sexuality counseling pedagogy, which constituted the following themes: (a) Value-Neutrality and "Out in the Classroom": The Contested Role of the Self; (b) Multiculturalism in Professional Counseling and Anti-Oppressive Ideologies; and (c) The Validity and Utility of Lived Experience in Sexuality Classrooms. From the research findings, I described the significant role of ideology in sexuality counseling pedagogy, discussed the relevant social, cultural, and political considerations of teaching sexuality counseling, and provided suggestions for future research.
sexuality, multicase study, critical discourse analysis, ideology, counselor education, sexuality education, Education
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