Impact of Sexuality Education in Reducing Unprotected Intercourse Among Adolescents
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
The following are the objectives of the study:
- To determine whether Sex Education Intervention Programme would reduce at-risk sexual behaviours of school-going adolescents.
- To suggest the need for effective sex education for the young ones.
- To know if youth who receive comprehensive sex education are more likely to become sexually active, increase sexual activity, experience negative sexual health outcomes or not.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter gives a summary of relevant literature used to conceptualize the research theme. The review first gives an overview of sexual behaviour, followed by sex education, sources of sex education and finally presents a summary of the literature review.
Sexual Behaviour
Sexual behaviour is the outward expressions of sexual feelings and attitudes. Sexual behaviour is associated with a multitude of worries and anxieties. It is a matter of preoccupation to most teenagers since it is certainly an extremely emotive topic, and most important, for many it represents a standard of evaluation against which to judge success or failure (Garbarino, 1985). In adolescent, sexual feelings and behaviours are a product of not only biological factors, but also a result of cultural teaching that specify appropriate sexual behaviour, appropriate targets of sexual feelings and appropriate settings for expressing sexual impulses (Newman & Newman, 1986).
Adolescents, like adults, may be prone to engaging in risky sexual behavior due to perceptions of personal invulnerability and their tendency to focus on the immediate, rather than long-term, consequences of their behavior. Not only do young people have to cope with their own maturational changes, but they also have to come to terms with a confusing inconsistency among adult views and a lack of any clear standard or moral code of conduct (Garbarino, 1985). Teenagers need the best possible preparation to enable them to cope well with their sexual development and to avoid the most obvious pitfalls. It is in view of this that the researcher has set out to investigate the effects of sex education on adolescent sexual behaviour in Secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state because sex education is viewed as a means of promoting more responsible sexual behaviour and as an important step in preventing the dangers of making wrong decisions.
Sex Education
Sex education, which is sometimes called sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy (Forrest, 2002). It is also about developing young people’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices.
According to Garbarino (1985), sex education involves much more than reproductive instruction, rather, sex education should seek to teach adolescents to understand and accept themselves as people with sexual feelings and reproductive capacities. It should include learning how to interact with others in a competent, responsible, healthy, and meaningful way. Its goal should be to achieve a balance between social responsibility on the one hand, and personal freedom and growth on the other.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The chapter discusses the procedures and strategies used in the study. Research design, locale, target population, the sample and sampling procedures, data collection, data analysis and presentation are also discussed.
Research Design
This study was carried out within the ex-post facto design. Ex-post facto research is systematic and empirical inquiry in which the independent variables have already occurred and are not manipulated by the researcher. Borg and Gall (1989) define Expost facto research as a systematic empirical inquiry in which the scientist does not have any control of independent variables because their manifestations have already occurred or because they are inherently non-manipulable. Inferences about relations are made without direct intervention from concomitant variation of independent and dependent variables. The investigator does not have direct control of independent variables because their manifestations have already occurred and inferences about relations among variables are made without direct intervention.
Target Population
The target population is defined as all the members of a real or hypothetical set of people, events or objects, which a researcher wishes to generalize the research study (Borg & Gall 1989). The target population for this study consisted of all the students and their teachers in secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state .
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter presents the findings of the study. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of sex education on adolescents’ sexual behaviour in secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state . This was aimed at coming up with the key sources of sex education that could be positively utilized to influence desired sexual behaviour among adolescents. The study aimed at answering the following research questions:
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents a summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations arrived at. The chapter also gives suggestions for further studies that could be carried out in future.
Summary of the Findings
The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of sex education on adolescents’ sexual behaviour in secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state . Data for the study was collected from 192 students and 48 teachers selected from 12 secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state . The students were selected from forms two and three classes. Among the students were 96 (50%) boys and 96 (50%) girls. Given below is a summary of the key study findings.
A large proportion of students did not have adequate knowledge on sexuality. Most of the students (50.5%) had average knowledge about sex, 68 (35.4%) had low knowledge levels, while 27 (14.1%) had high levels of sexual knowledge. Fifty (50%) of the teachers rated the level of students’ knowledge about sex-related issues to be average, 29.2% rated the level of knowledge high, while 20.8% rated it low.
Majority (84.9%) of the students indicated that their major sources of sex information/education were the mass media, followed by peers (65.1%), and then relatives (51.6%). Parents were rated the lowest with only 18.8% indicating them as a main source of sex education. Chi-square test results indicated that adolescents’ levels of sexual knowledge did not differ across the main sources of sex education. This shows that among the various sources of sex information, none was superior to the other in terms of giving reliable knowledge to adolescents.
The main methods through which teachers conducted sex education included guidance and counselling (87.5%), through other subjects like Biology and CRE (66.7%), and through interpersonal interactions with the students (56.3%). Other major sources of sex education for students were: through peer counselling club, through religious organizations; inviting speakers and facilitators through the counselling department; through magazines and other available literature; arranging for seminars and workshops; church, debates, contests and peers; Radio/TV programmes; through societies and chill clubs; and drama and music festivals.
A total of 131 (68.2%) reported that they had previously dated with a friend of the opposite sex. Fifty-three (27.6%) of the students agreed that they have had sexual intercourse with a partner of the opposite sex. Of these, 16 (30.2%) had the first intercourse when they were below 9 years, 15 (28.3%) were between the ages 10-13 years, while 22 (41.5%) at the age of 15-17 years. A significant number of students (49.1%) did not use any form of protection. Twenty four (45.3%) of the students used condoms, while 3 (5.7%) used withdrawal method. This shows that quite a large number (54.7%) of adolescents who are sexually active do not use protection. This includes the 5.7% who reported to use withdrawal method, which does not protect one from contracting HIV/AIDS and STDs, and is not a reliable method to control pregnancy.
Chi-square test results indicated that sexually active and non-sexually active students did not differ significantly in their sources of sex education. This shows that the sources of sex information used by adolescents have not been successful in assisting them make the right decisions regarding sex. Further, chi-square test results indicated that there were no significant gender differences in adolescents’ sources of sex education across gender.
Teachers were of the view that sexual activity among the students was on the increase due to exposure to pornography and contraceptives (58.3%), influence from mass media (56.3%), lack of proper and adequate counselling (43.8%), and lack of role models (35.4%) among others. On the other hand, some of the teachers indicated that sexual activity had been decreasing as a result of fear of contracting HIV/AIDS or getting pregnant (18.8%), involvement in co-curricular activities (12.5%), and increased knowledge on consequences of engaging in sex (8.3%) among others.
Conclusion
The study established that the main sources of sex education were peers and the mass media. Parents and school were rated among the lowest with sources of sex education. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher concludes that adolescents in secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state do not have adequate information about sex. This can be attributed to over-reliance on peers for information about sex, and, because information from peers can be unreliable, most of the information that the adolescents have is often misleading. Consequently, most of the sexually active students do not use any form of protection during sexual intercourse, and this exposes them to the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, or getting unwanted pregnancies, which can result to school dropout or health complications as young girls attempt abortion. Other adolescents practice unreliable protection methods such as the withdrawal method due to lack of information. Withdrawal method is a method that does not protect one from contracting HIV/AIDS and STDs, and is not a reliable method to control pregnancy, yet some adolescents in the study indicated that it was the method they use. In light of this, it is important that the government, schools, nongovernmental organizations, and the community design effective sex education programmes targeting adolescents.
Recommendations
Based on the study findings, the researcher recommends the following: –
- Parents should be sensitized about the whole question of adolescents’ sexuality so that they can be more involved in teaching them about the same.
- The education system should put into consideration the idea of incorporating sex education into the school curriculum.
- The community should work hand in hand with community-based organisations and NGOs to educate the adolescents on responsible sex behaviour.
- The church should play a more active role in educating the adolescents/adolescents on sex education.
- Since most adolescents prefer getting their information concerning sex from their fellow peers, all the parties should make effort to train the adolescents in order to ensure that they give right information to each other.
Suggestions for Further Studies
- A similar study could be carried out in other parts of the country to find out whether the findings of this study are replicable.
- This study covered public secondary schools in Ovia local government of Edo state . A study needs to be carried out covering private secondary schools to see whether the study findings tally with those ones of public secondary schools.
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