Study background: “What does good sex education look like?” studied the needs of young people in the Netherlands and their views on how sex education should be delivered.3 ,33 It was inspired by Rutgers’ Sex Under 25 survey, where more than 20,000 young people (aged 12-25) rated the sexuality education they received in Dutch schools as mediocre (5.8 on a scale of one to ten).34 Respondents reported missing information about subjects including sexual diversity, sex in the media and sexual violence. The participatory study was designed to investigate these low ratings and understand where current practice is insufficient and should be improved.
Data collected: The research employed a mixed methods design, including individual interviews, FGDs and Photovoice.
Recruitment of peer researchers: The study recruited 17 PRs (aged 16-18) with different sexuality and cultural backgrounds, across six schools. Two to four PRs were recruited per school, so they could support each other.
Peer researcher activities: The PRs worked closely with three adult researchers to select research methods, develop tools, collect data and carry out analysis. Researchers collected data at their own schools, across all ages and education levels. The PRs produced individual research reports and advocated for local change. They contributed to national dissemination of joint findings, delivering workshops and presenting findings in the Dutch media.
Training and support: The project started with an initial residential training over two weekends based on the Explore toolkit (see above), followed by mid-project residential training on data analysis and report writing. During data collection, a Rutgers supervisor visited schools to provide support and assist FGDs. The supervisor also provided follow-up communication through WhatsApp.
Time and remuneration: Researchers participated on a voluntary basis, in order to fulfil study requirements for their final year of secondary school. Each PR invested 80 hours in data collection data and individual report writing, two weekends training and three research group meetings.
Ethics and consent: The research was conducted according to Dutch legal and ethical guidelines for responsible research, including voluntary participation, safeguards against participant identity disclosure, and respect for participants.35 See
