Effectiveness of sexuality education in preventing teenage pregnancy in the Pinetown district secondary schools
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Date
2016
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Sexuality Education as an
intervention in preventing teenage pregnancy in the Pinetown district. A focus group of
thirty four (35) learners from three different schools was purposefully sampled. Data was
collected using structured interview schedules to allow the researcher a platform to ask
open-response questions and to understand the learners’ knowledge on preventive
measures and the learners’ preferential choices. Data were analysed by carefully
identifying and expanding significant themes that emerged from the informants’
knowledge and preferred measures of interventions to prevent teenage pregnancy.
The results of the study revealed that learners’ knowledge of preventative measures was
limited and an additional challenge was the lack of parental involvement in their
children’s sexuality. The participants agreed that sexuality education does provide
learners with information that could equip them with knowledge of a healthy sexual
behaviour. They maintained that this information could be used when they decided to
engage in intimate sexual relationships. However, the knowledge which will ultimately
decide their future was quite limited and it was concerning. They seemed to know the
contraceptives that were available but the task of accessing them still posed a problem.
On the basis of the study results, some valuable recommendations were made which
include that the alternatives of accessing contraceptives and the parental involvement in
their children’s sexuality may curb teenage pregnancy.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2016
Keywords
sexuality education --teenage pregnancies --secondary schools