An Exploratory Study of African American Adolescents’ Talk About Peer Sexual Harassment: More Support for the Utility of Feminist Theory

ABSTRACT A qualitative exploratory study examined African American 7th graders’ talk about peer sexual harassment (N = 21). A thematic analysis of single-gender discussion groups demonstrated that while students held misconceptions about sexual harassment, they were fluent in the cultural norms that expect boys to push sexual boundaries and girls to enforce them. We propose that feminist theory, which views personal interactions through the lens of power hierarchies, provides a useful explanation of the students’ talk about peer sexual harassment. Our experience points to the value of group work to explore students’ prior knowledge and underlying beliefs about sexual harassment before intervening.