Challenges of Teachers in the Implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in a Basic Education Institution

Comprehensive sexuality education has strong evidence support, yet its school-based delivery often meets resistance and practical constraints, particularly in contexts shaped by strong religious norms and community sensitivity. This qualitative phenomenological study examined how teachers experience, interpret, and respond to challenges that arise during comprehensive sexuality education delivery in a basic education setting in the Philippines. Data came from in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with purposively selected teachers who have direct classroom responsibility for age-appropriate sexuality education topics. Reflexive thematic analysis identified layered constraints that shaped delivery decisions, including cultural and religious sensitivity, limited training and instructional resources, learner discomfort and humor-driven avoidance, time and curriculum pressure, and perceived or explicit parental resistance. Despite these barriers, teachers described adaptive strategies that protected classroom safety while preserving instructional intent, such as integration of sexuality education concepts into adjacent learning areas, deliberate use of values-sensitive language, and reliance on peer support to strengthen confidence and content accuracy. Findings suggest that comprehensive sexuality education implementation improves when teachers receive continuous capacity-building, locally relevant teaching resources, clear institutional guidance, and structured engagement with parents and community stakeholders. These supports can reduce teacher selfcensorship, strengthen pedagogical coherence, and sustain fidelity to learner-centered and rights-informed sexuality education.