Factors Affecting College Students' Perceptions of Sexual Relationships Between High School Students and Teachers

• NCJ Number: 195504
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 59-73
• Author(s): Mary Ellen Fromuth; Aimee Holt; April L. Parker
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored college students’ perception of high school student-teacher sexual relationships and the variables affecting their perceptions.

Abstract

Previous studies examining the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse of students by teachers has highlighted the importance of studying this topic. However, most current research involving the academic setting has focused on the study of college students sexually victimized by their peers and/or college professors. This study focused its efforts on examining the perceptions of college students on the sexual relationship between a teacher and a 16-year old high school student. Three variables were explored in determining the perception of a sexual relationship between a teacher and high school student: (1) the respondent’s gender; (2) the gender combination (male teacher/female student or female teacher/male student); and (3) the teacher’s age. Study participants included 80 male and 80 female college undergraduate students from a southeastern university. Participants were presented with one of four possible scenarios describing a sexual experience between a teacher and 16-year old student. As predicted, the gender combination of the teacher and the student emerged as an important variable affecting the perception of teacher-student relations. The male teacher/female student combination was viewed more negatively than the reverse combination. However, in the female teacher/male student relationship, the student was seen as less likely to experience psychological problems, less likely to be upset by the experience and more likely to have had a positive sexual experience. Women tended to view the experience between an older adolescent and a teacher more negatively than did the men, holding the teacher more responsible for what had occurred. In lieu of study limitations, the study illustrated the need for continued research on the perceptions of sexual relations between high school students and their teachers, specifically in the area of same gender dyads. References