Learning about sensitive material: a student-centred examination of current teaching practice

In Higher Education (HE) learning about topics that may be disturbing or upsetting can present risks to student engagement and overall wellbeing. Educators should manage this content thoughtfully but there is little clarity and consistency in terms of best practice. Previous research has overlooked the student voice, focussing on educator experiences. Experiments examining ‘trigger’ warnings are divorced from the learning experience and produce inconsistent findings. We asked 27 undergraduate Psychology students to define ‘sensitive material’ and describe their associated learning experiences. Our thematic analysis suggested that, to students, ‘sensitive material’ is a topic that evokes predominantly negative emotional responses, and advanced previous definitions by acknowledging individual and collective responses. Two themes emerged, pedagogic approaches and duty of care, that represented aspects of teaching that students found useful and those they felt should be more carefully considered. The relevance of the teaching environment and consistency of practice stood out as further advancements on previous research. Our findings should assist educators in considering various approaches and strategies when teaching sensitive materials. Limitations, and ideas for further work are presented with an aim to continue to collaborate with students regarding the teaching of sensitive materials.