Assessing Sexual Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Practices, Barriers, and the Need for Structured Instruments in Indonesian Special Schools

Bara Damar Alam; Lilis Suwandari; Muhammad Aditya Firdaus

doi:10.55227/ijhess.v5i3.1990

Authors

Bara Damar Alam Universitas Islam Nusantara
Lilis Suwandari Universitas Islam Nusantara
Muhammad Aditya Firdaus Islamic Education Doctoral Program, Postgraduate UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v5i3.1990

Keywords:

sexual education, assessment, intellectual disabilities, qualitative case study, inclusive special education

Abstract

This study investigates how sexual education is currently assessed for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and identifies the barriers and needs for developing standardized assessment instruments in a special school context. Using a qualitative descriptive case study, data were gathered at SLBN Budi Utama (Cirebon) through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document review, then analyzed with Miles–Huberman–Saldaña’s interactive model. Findings show that assessment practices are largely informal, observation-based, and inconsistently documented, relying on teachers’ intuitive judgments during daily instruction and role-play activities. Cultural sensitivities surrounding sexuality further narrow the assessed domains to hygiene and etiquette, leaving critical areas—such as consent, body safety, and abuse prevention—underassessed. Teachers report the absence of standardized tools, limited professional training, and weak institutional guidance as key constraints. At the same time, they express a clear need for developmentally appropriate, visually supported, and behaviorally oriented instruments that capture knowledge, attitudes, and practical self-protection skills. The study concludes that strengthening sexual education assessment for students with ID requires a structured, culturally responsive instrument, targeted teacher capacity-building, and school-level policy support to ensure protective, empowering, and evidence-informed instruction

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