‘Why Do We Love Each Other?’ A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Authentic Questions by Children in the Context of Sexuality Education in Primary Schools

Abstract Sexuality education in primary schools remains a site of socio-political contestation, yet empirical insight into children's own questions and first-person perspectives is scarce. This study addresses this gap by analysing 1901 anonymously submitted questions from eight- to ten-year-old pupils in Germany, collected during sexuality education in schools. Using reflexive thematic analysis, a two-axis framework was developed that differentiates between semantic topics (explicit knowledge) and discursive themes and functions (implicit meanings). The children's questions reveal how they engage early on with complexities of sexuality, including the functions and practices of relationships, the digital entanglements, and societal norms, scope, and morals as cultural aspects. A notable subset of questions displays philosophical depth, positioning sexuality as a field of existential reflection, thereby addressing the central challenges in contemporary society of experiencing resonance, social belonging and meaning. By capturing the meaning-oriented dimension of children's questions, the study challenges reductionist approaches in sexuality education and highlights sexuality as a complex, holistic process of deep subjectification. The results suggest that the sexuality education discourse, currently structured largely around adult concerns with protection and risk on the one hand and politicization on the other, underattends the experiential and existential lens through which children already engage with sexuality.