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Exploring Online Forums with an Academic Atmosphere for Informal Sexuality Education in China: A Case Study of a Douban Group.

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Title: Exploring Online Forums with an Academic Atmosphere for Informal Sexuality Education in China: A Case Study of a Douban Group.
Authors: Yao, Xing1 (AUTHOR) xingyao@iu.edu
Source: American Journal of Sexuality Education. Apr-Jun2026, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p245-260. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Sex education, *Internet forums, *Nonformal education, Self-consciousness (Awareness), Gender identity, Sexual orientation
Geographic Terms: China
Abstract: In mainland China, sexuality education is inadequate due to prevailing conservative social and cultural attitudes. This paper explores the role of online forums as alternative spaces for informal sexuality education, focusing on the Douban group named "Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation Self-Study" (GISOS). Douban.com, a popular social networking site in China, allows users to create groups for discussions on various themes. To explore whether and how the GISOS group can serve as informal sources of sexuality education for young people in China, this study adopts a qualitative research design, using reflexive thematic analysis to examine ten selected posts and their comments within the GISOS group. Emergent themes reveal that GISOS serves as both a "user-generated content gender forum with an academic atmosphere" and an "online mutual support community that supports self-exploration." The GISOS group creatively encourages members to use reliable academic resources for narration and discussion, fostering a positive environment that addresses some limitations of online forums as platforms for sexuality education. This innovative form of online forum-based sexuality education could serve as an example of similar informal platforms for sexuality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Sexuality Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Exploring Online Forums with an Academic Atmosphere for Informal Sexuality Education in China: A Case Study of a Douban Group.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+education%22">Sex education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Internet+forums%22">Internet forums</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nonformal+education%22">Nonformal education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-consciousness+%28Awareness%29%22">Self-consciousness (Awareness)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+identity%22">Gender identity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+orientation%22">Sexual orientation</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: In mainland China, sexuality education is inadequate due to prevailing conservative social and cultural attitudes. This paper explores the role of online forums as alternative spaces for informal sexuality education, focusing on the Douban group named "Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation Self-Study" (GISOS). Douban.com, a popular social networking site in China, allows users to create groups for discussions on various themes. To explore whether and how the GISOS group can serve as informal sources of sexuality education for young people in China, this study adopts a qualitative research design, using reflexive thematic analysis to examine ten selected posts and their comments within the GISOS group. Emergent themes reveal that GISOS serves as both a "user-generated content gender forum with an academic atmosphere" and an "online mutual support community that supports self-exploration." The GISOS group creatively encourages members to use reliable academic resources for narration and discussion, fostering a positive environment that addresses some limitations of online forums as platforms for sexuality education. This innovative form of online forum-based sexuality education could serve as an example of similar informal platforms for sexuality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Sexuality Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/15546128.2024.2444441
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 245
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Sex education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Internet forums
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nonformal education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self-consciousness (Awareness)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender identity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual orientation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Exploring Online Forums with an Academic Atmosphere for Informal Sexuality Education in China: A Case Study of a Douban Group.
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              M: 04
              Text: Apr-Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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