Research Interests

My research focuses on developing new methodological approaches to studying sexual health across the life span. My focus is on the role of sexual entitlement -- what and how much one believes is possible with the sexual domain. I study how entitlement varies depending on gender, sexual orientation, and cultural contexts. Specifically, my research examines how entitlement affects individuals' sexual development, interactions, and appraisals.

I have a number of on-going projects which use a variety of data collection methods, including: interview, survey, Q sort, item and scale construction, as well as studies using the Add Health data-set. For more information, see Research.

Please contact me if you are interested in working in my lab.

Current Grants 

National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health
Systematic Review of Measures of Sexual Quality of Life for Female Cancer Survivors
Tracey A. Revenson, PI; Sara I. McClelland, Co-PI
Click here to view the abstract and more information about the study.

Selected Publications

McClelland, S.I. and Fine, M. (2008). Writing on cellophane: Studying teen women's sexual desires; Inventing methodological release points. K. Gallagher (Ed.), The Methodological Dilemma: Critical and Creative Approaches to Qualitative Research. London: Routledge. PDF here / Order book here

McClelland, S.I. and Fine, M. (2008). Rescuing a theory of adolescent sexual excess: Young women and wanting. A. Harris (Ed.), Next Wave Cultures: Feminism, Subcultures, Activism. London: Routledge. PDF here / Order book here

McClelland, S.I. and Fine, M. (2008). Embedded science: Critical analysis of abstinence-only evaluation research. Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, 8(1): 50-81. PDF here

McClelland, S.I. (2008). Book Review: Adolescent Sexuality: A Historical Handbook & Guide, C. Cocca, Ed. Journal of Sex Research, 45(3): 315-317. PDF here

Fine, M. and McClelland, S.I. (2007). The politics of teen women’s sexuality: Public policy and the adolescent female body. Emory Law Journal, 56(4): 993-1038. PDF here

Opotow, S. and McClelland, S.I. (2007).The intensification of hating: A theory. Social Justice Research, 20(1): 68-97. PDF here

McClelland, S.I. and Metzl, J.M. (2007). Impotence and sexual dysfunction. M. Flood, J.K. Gardiner, B. Pease, and K. Pringle (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities. London: Routledge. PDF here /Order book here

Fine, M. and McClelland, S.I. (2006). Sexuality education and desire: Still missing after all these years. Harvard Educational Review, 76(3): 297-338. abstract / PDF here