Attitude of Student Towards the Teaching of Sexuality Education in Secondary Schools in Cross River State
CHAPTER ONE
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main purposes of this study are:
- To find out from senior secondary school students if sex education is taught in theirs schools.
- To find out from the senior secondary school students the extent to which religion and cultural belief accept the teaching of sex education.
- To find out from the student about the role of sex education in adolescent sexual issues
- To find out from students if sex education should be included in the secondary school curriculum in Cross River state.
CHAPTER TWO
INTRODUCTION
Much has been written about the concept of sex education and its importance to the society and beneficiaries. Sexual involvement between male and female is as old as history of mankind, it has been the only practice employed for the reproduction and perpetuation of the human species.
The sexual act itself is restricted in most cultures and religion groups to the post betrothal period and it is supposed to reinforce the relation existing between the partners and their families thus enhancing the formation of stable social bounds and affection within the society.
In the researcher efforts to present the relevant materials and of the vast literature on sex education, the following outline is adopted.
- Concept of sex education
- Teaching of sex education in secondary schools.
- Students religion, cultural belief and teaching of sex education in secondary schools in Cross River State.
- The role of sex education in adolescent sexual issues.
- Inclusion of sex education in secondary schools curriculum in Cross River State.
CONCEPT OF SEX EDUCATION
The term sex education has been subjected to a series of definitions and explanation, by many writers and individuals conveying individual opinion and biases about the subject matter. Adunola (2005) perceived sex education solely as education in the machining of sexual act. He also described sex education as sinister campaign to create an increasing and dangerous obsession with sex in the minds of the adolescents.
Egbuna (1999) argued that sex education is not simple physiology of the system, nor is it the process of telling the youth the facts of life and cautioning them about possible unpleasant out-come of premarital experimentation. It is not giving information about reproduction; describing the disease transmitted sexually and warning the embarrassment of illegitimate pregnancy and the shame of being discovered rather, sex education is the creation of satisfying interpersonal relationships rather than simply the exercise of sex and it would involve the whole population and the total life span, going far beyond genital sex expression, love and affection.
He explained further that sex education encompasses more than just the mere teaching of this subject in isolation. Sex education indeed rather should be a holistic learning intended towards improving the growth of the young. Thus sex education could be viewed in the same line with Njoku (2000) as an ecologic ethnical approach involving the biological, psychological, social and ethnical dimensions of sexual attitude standards, values and behaviors.
TEACHING SEX EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOL
Indeed sex education will help curb a lot of complication problems faced by adolescents Ibrahim (2003) opined that sex has created and is still creating problems for many of our youths, their parents and the entire society such problems include unplanned marriage, abortion and its resultant consequences such as death of our promising adolescent girls, sexually transmitted infection (STI) and high rate of divorces cases of juvenile delinquency
This is an indication that something is missing in our educational system and that thing is sex education. According to Mecklanbury (1993) cited by Njoku (2000) stated that the implication of this observation is that the prevalence of incidence of unwanted pregnancies, abortion, unplanned marriages and their consequences could be curbed through the introduction of sex educations in schools.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this chapter is to present a step by step description of the research design and procedure used in collection and analyzing the data for this study.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The Research design adopted in this study is the ex-post facto (after the fact) design. This design is used when a researcher intends to describe conditions that already exist, and attempts to determine reasons for the existing differences in behaviour or status of groups of individuals (Gay, 1992).
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
The population for this study comprised of all the senior secondary school students in Cross River State. As at the time of this study, the number of Senior Secondary School Students selected for the study was sixteen thousand seven hundred (16,700). (Cross River State Ministry of Education 2008).
SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
The researcher used stratified random sampling techniques to draw sample from the population. The state was divided into three senatorial zones of
which five hundred (500) students were randomly selected from the population of sixteen thousand seven hundred. In sampling from population obasi (2003) method was used in this study it stated that if representativeness is to ensured 20% from a population of 1000 to 3000, 10% from a population of 4000 to 7000, 3% from a population of 17000 to 20000 are recommended.
In selecting the local government areas above the names of all the local Government Areas in each zone were written on pieces of papers, squeezed and mixed. Two Local Government Areas was picked blindfolded bringing the number of local government area involved in this study to six. Two Secondary Schools were also randomly selected by writing the names of all the Senior Secondary School Students from each local government area selected on pieces of paper, squeezed and mixed, two were picked blindfolded. The same were applicable to all the local government selected from each zone bringing the number of secondary schools used to twelve (12).
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
INTRODUCTION
In furtherance of the investigation of the perception of the senior secondary school students on the teaching of sex education within the Cross River State secondary school, the data collected were statistically analyzed in this chapter. The chapter presents the demographic characteristics of the respondents in one single table of frequencies and percentages. Other sections of the chapter relating to teaching sex education in secondary schools, parents belief in relation to sex education, the perception of Senior Secondary School Students about the contribution of sex education towards the enhancement of reproductive health knowledge and the associated perceived inclusion of sex education in the school curriculum are analyzed in mean and standard deviations along the research questions raised in the study. The hypotheses raised in the study were tested within the chapter and a discussion of the findings is then presented at the end of the chapter. The mean scores were based on the five point scale with the highest score for agreement as 3.5 and the highest score for disagreement as 3.4. Thus mean score of 3.5 and above are considered as agreement since 3.5 could be approximated to 4 which stand for agreement in the five point interval scale.
THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDENTS
A total of four hundred and twenty (420) respondents made up of senior secondary school students from six local government area of Cross River state were involved in the study. Among their demographic characteristics included in the study were sex, age, and class and religious affiliation.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
This study investigated the attitude of students on teaching of sex education in secondary schools within Cross River State. Among the major variables investigated were teaching sex education in secondary, effect of Religious and cultural beliefs, student perception on the role of sex education in adolescent sexual issue and their views on the inclusion of sex education as a subject in the secondary school curriculum. A structured questionnaire was administered to the students. The students’ opinions were assessed on a five point scale. To effectively carry out the investigation, the study was divided into five chapters.
Chapter one gave the background to the study, the statement of the problem, research questions the purpose, basic assumptions and hypotheses of the study. The significance, scope or delimitation of the study were all given in the chapter.
Chapter two reviewed the related literature on sex education it started with introduction, concept of sex education teaching sex education in secondary school, parent’s belief, and sex education. Other relevant review literatures were those on the role of sex education in the enhancement of
reproductive health knowledge and sex education in the secondary school curriculum. The chapter was concluded with a summary of the reviewed literatures.
Chapter 3 was the methodology of the study which include the research design, the population of the study the sampling procedure used in collecting the data was given in it. The chapter gives a description of the research instrument, the validity of the instrument. The method of data collection and the statistical procedures used in the analysis of the data were specified within the chapter.
Chapter four presented the statistical analysis of the collected data from the students and interpretation of the findings from the analyzed data was presented in chapter four. It is also made up of the description of the demographic variables of the respondents as well as the analysis of the variables in relation to sex education in the selected secondary schools. One major null hypothesis was raised along with three null sub-hypotheses. The hypotheses raised in the study and tested in the chapter are:
- The major hypothesis tested for significant difference between the students’ opinion on the teaching of sex education in the selected secondary schools. The classes of the students constituted the independent variable in the analysis of variance used in the test. The result did not reveal significant difference between the students on the teaching of sex education. The hypothesis was therefore retained.
- Hypothesis I tested for significant difference in the perceptions of the male and female students on the teaching of sex education in the secondary schools. The result revealed significant difference between the male and female students in the selected schools. The female were more favorably disposed towards the teaching of sex education than the male students. The hypothesis was therefore rejected.
- Hypothesis II tested for significant difference in the opinion of the students from different religious background. The analysis of variance was used in the test. The result did not reveal significant difference in the opinion of the students from the different religions. The hypothesis was therefore retained.
- Hypothesis III tested for significant differences between male and female students in their opinion about the role of sex education in adolescent sexual issue among youths in the study area. The two sample t-test procedure was used in the test. The result did not reveal significant difference. The hypothesis was therefore retained.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Some of the major findings observed in the study are as follows:
- That sex education is not taught as a subject in the selected secondary schools.
- That religious and cultural belief have negative impact on the teaching of sex education in the selected secondary schools.
- That there is no significant difference between male and female student in their opinion about the role of sex education in the sexual issues.
- That the male and female students want sex education to be included into the secondary school curriculum
CONCLUSION
This study presented the perception of students towards the teaching of sex education in some selected secondary schools within Cross River state. The analysis of the data collected in relation to the subject revealed that
(a) The students have very limited knowledge of sex education. Among the constraints encouraging this limited knowledge were religious restriction, cultural belief and parents’ attitudes towards issues pertaining to sexual matters.
(b) Students from different religious background had the same opinion on the restriction of their religion on matters relating to sex and sexuality among adolescents.
(c) No significant difference was observed between the male and female students from the different classes in the selected schools in their opinion on the teaching of sex education in the selected schools. Though the students did not really have adequate knowledge of the subject, they were in favour of its inclusion into the secondary school curriculum in the state.
(d) The age of the students did not have significant impact on their opinion about the teaching of sex education in the selected schools. It was observed that the male and female students did not really know the role sex education could play in the adolescent sexual issues and other health related problems as they relate to youths in the study area.
(e) Significant difference was not observed between the male and the female students on this role that sex education could play. This limited knowledge of the students was attributed to the low awareness of sex education and the accompanied constraints of religious and parent’s cultural beliefs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based On the findings in this study, the researcher recommends as follows:
- That sex education should be made compulsory from junior secondary school up to tertiary level of Nigerian educational systems
- That the structure of the subject should be done in such a way that the religious and cultural beliefs of the people are protected.
- That such a syllabus should not be devoid of the religious connotations that will endear it to both parents and students of the different religious groups.
- That teachers should take into consideration the different religious and socio-cultural views of students when discussing matters of adolescents’ sexuality.
REFERENCES
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- Action Health Incorporated (AHI), (2003) Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Trainers’ Resource Manual Advocate for Youths.
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