Exploring parents’ perceptions of sex education pedagogy in Moroccan schools using an association rules mining-based algorithm

Abstract

Sex education is vital for promoting healthy relationships and preventing sexual exploitation by teaching boundaries, consent and abuse recognition. Customized strategies are needed for children, balancing age-appropriate content with parental and community perspectives. Our study assessed Moroccan parents’ views on sex education’s adoption in schools. Conducted in Taza city, the survey targeted 1946 parents of students over 7 years old. Using association rule mining (ARM), we analyzed their responses. Therefore, Apriori algorithm was implemented to discover strong association rules within parents’ selected responses. Results showed that 74.53% of parents aged 19-30 support sexual education, citing its absence as a factor in child abuse. Meanwhile, 60.48% of those aged 31-59 with university education believe psychological disorders contribute to assaults. While some fathers (32.48%) and some mothers (67.52%) support sexual education, others don’t, but all agree on restricting children’s internet use until age 16 to avoid harmful content. These findings can inform comparative studies, aid decision-makers and enhance AI-based EdTech systems by offering insights into sex education perceptions.