Teachers Knowledges about Sexual Identity: ¿Barriers or Facilitators of Identity Construction?

Abstract

Chile has begun to recognize the lgbti (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) community. This recognition allows make their sociopolitical needs and demands visible and thus to include them within new legislation and policies, including in education. This article presents the reflection emanating from the results of an exploratory qualitative study whose objective was to reveal the declarative, procedural and attitudinal knowledge about sexual identity that teachers from early childhood education and first and second year of primary-level education of three municipal schools have. The findings allow for the identification of knowledge based on a socio-constructivist paradigm and also on the essentialist paradigm and discuss how teachers in school act as facilitators for or hinder the construction of sexual identity of children, depending on their knowledge of the subject and their paradigm, and how policy changes impact these areas.