SEXUALITY EDUCATION BELIEFS: AN EMERGING GROUNDED THEORY BEGINNING WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH By MARK HAROLD SELLE A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY College of Education MAY 2004 © Copyright by MARK HAROLD SELLE, 2004 All Rights Reserved © Copyright by MARK HAROLD SELLE, 2004 All Rights Reserved To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of MARK HAROLD SELLE find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. Chair ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I owe debts of gratitude that I cannot repay to so many who have helped so much with this dissertation. First, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Don Reed whose experience, scholarship, flexibility, warmth, kindness, and belief in my ability to “produce gold,” has helped shape my work. I also want to thank Gail Furman whose high expectations, exacting standards, skillful teaching, and insightful feedback have pushed me to heights beyond my original expectations. I also acknowledge the help Dennis Ray provided in launching me on the road to scholarship. Without his vision for the field-based superintendent program and his energy in making it a reality, I would not have pursued my doctoral degree through Washington State University. He gave me most of the foundation I needed first to become a superintendent and later a scholar. Finally, I want to thank Mike Trevisan for filling in at the last minute and providing valuable insight and feedback as I approached the conclusion of my doctoral program. I also want to acknowledge and thank the many people without whom this dissertation would not have taken form. First, I want to thank the many people who graciously cooperated with this research by agreeing to grant interviews, copies of speeches and presentations, and answering email queries regarding their published work. Second, I could not have completed this work without the encouragement and support of the Valley School District Board of Directors—thank you all. Finally, I want to thank those who graciously agreed to proof the final draft and provide comments not only on grammar issues, but also content. I thank Theolene Bakken, Ellicia Coyne, Pat and Alisa Kostecka, Dr. Paul and Lori Larsen, and Andrea Potter. iii My expression of gratitude would not be complete without thanking my family. First, I thank my parents Dann and Tam Selle for teaching me that I could reach any goal and providing me with the support I needed to grow and mature in many ways. I also want to thank my children: Jocelyn, Reade, John, Emma, and Joseph. They all shared in the sacrifices this project demanded and rose to the occasion in so many ways. Finally, I owe the greatest debt to Angela, my sounding board, colleague, secretary, proofreader, editor, best friend, and wife. Without her often thankless and enormous sacrifices for our family and help throughout my education beyond high school, I would not have been able to succeed in completing my doctorate; I cannot adequately thank or repay such a gift of love except by returning the love that motivated it. Thank you Angela; I love you. iv SEXUALITY EDUCATION BELIEFS: AN EMERGING GROUNDED THEORY BEGINNING WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ABSTRACT by Mark Harold Selle, Ph.D. Washington State University May 2004 Chair: Donald B. Reed This qualitative study employs grounded theory methodology to investigate the sexuality education beliefs of orthodox Catholic and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) sources. Based upon substantive grounded theories presented for these two groups, the study also provides a preliminary formal theory of sexuality education beliefs. This research includes analysis of thousands of pages of documents contained in 119 works related to the sexuality education beliefs of PPFA and orthodox Catholic sources, field notes from two observations, and transcripts from 53 interviews conducted for this study. Analysis of the substantive theories, employing the use of matrices, served to develop the emerging formal theory. PPFA sources base their beliefs on the “individual” while orthodox Catholics root their beliefs in “family,” both spiritually and biologically. Both hold differing beliefs about “truth,” PPFA sources believing that empirical discovery forms the basis of truth and orthodox Catholics believing that God reveals truth. PPFA sources emphasize individual, women’s, and reproductive rights while orthodox Catholics emphasize parental, children’s, v and family rights. PPFA sources believe in a relativistic morality based on respect for individual and collective well-being, mutuality, and individual freedom of choice, and orthodox Catholics believe in an absolute morality rooted in God’s revelation of Natural Law. In the emerging formal theory, differing beliefs about truth explain all variability in sexuality education beliefs. Two main properties of truth emerged, one metaphysical and the other epistemological. Metaphysical dimensions ranged from materialism to dualism and epistemological dimensions from empiricism to rationalism. The research presents theoretical frameworks for beliefs about truth, the human person, morality, law, and social control. It explains beliefs about family and human rights in terms of these categories. The conclusion suggests that further study of additional groups or individuals would help refine and develop the emerging formal theory. Future research could also productively examine additional curricular areas and the politics of curriculum in general. Points regarding the role of sexuality education in the public schools, freedom of choice regarding sexuality education, and implications concerning public school funding, all within the context of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, conclude the study. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 Open Warfare ............................................................................................................3 The Problem and Purpose.......................................................................................21 Plan for the Work ....................................................................................................24 PPFA SEXUALITY EDUCATION BELIEFS .................................................................25 Serving the Individual: Rejecting Traditional Sexuality Education...................26 Individual Well-Being: A New Vision for Sexuality Education..........................45 Coping Through Individual Power in the Democratic Process...........................81 Conclusion................................................................................................................87 CATHOLIC SEXUALITY EDUCATION BELIEFS ......................................................89 Opposition to Sexuality Education in the Schools ................................................91 Support for Authentic Catholic Sexuality Education.........................................100 vii Coping through Personal Choice .........................................................................146 Conclusion..............................................................................................................147 AN EMERGING FORMAL THEORY OF SEXUALITY EDUCATION BELIEFS.148 Beliefs about Truth................................................................................................149 Morality ..................................................................................................................154 The Human Person................................................................................................160 Family .....................................................................................................................165 Human Rights ........................................................................................................166 Social Control (Coping).........................................................................................171 Conclusion..............................................................................................................177 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ..........................................................179 Suggestions for Further Study..............................................................................179 The First Amendment ...........................................................................................182 Conclusion..............................................................................................................195 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................197 Appendix A: Methods............................................................................................220 Appendix B: