Friday 15 April 2011

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

However, most of the experts believe that children and young people want and need sexuality as early and comprehensively as possible. Yet, there are researchers believed that early sexual education may have unintended consequences like sexual activity at a younger age and promiscuity.
According to the articles and journals that we had gone through, we found that there are several methods that used in this topic – Why is it important to impart sexual education in young children? In this assignment, we decided to use literature review as our research method.
From the resources gained, we found that the issues of sexual education and its effects on young children is still under investigation and has not reached exact agreement. Some researchers argued that early sex education can diminish the rate of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the International Technical Guidance on sexuality education, the overarching topics under which learning objectives have been defined are organized around six key concepts:
1. Relationships
2. Values, attitudes and skills
3. Culture, society and human rights
4. Human development
5. Sexual behaviour
6. Sexual and reproductive health
Each of these topics is linked to specific learning objectives. They are grouped according to the four age levels, and are intending outcomes of working from the particular topics. Learning objectives are defined at the level when they should first be introduced; however they need to be reinforced across different age levels.
When a programme begins with elder students, it might need to cover topics and learning objectives from earlier age levels. Based on the requirements of a country or region specific characteristics, such as social and cultural norms and epidemiological context, the contents of the learning objectives could be adjusted to be included within earlier or later age levels.

Reviews on Article 4

Evaluation of a comprehensive school-based AIDs education program in rural Masaka, Urganda.
70% of HIV infections in the world occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. Teenagers and young adults are at higher risks, hence, strategies in promoting safe sexual behavior are to be implemented. Teachers were asked to fit in the program into their timetables as they see fit, and then their knowledge about AIDs education were tested trice to evaluate their level of knowledge in sex education.
AIDs education program in curriculum was included in a short section in their last year of primary school, where students are tought on causes, transmission, signs effects, prevention and control of STD. These students were given questionnaires to assess their understanding in the AIDs program. The students were assessed 3 times; before, immediately after the program ended (10 to 12 months later) and 6 months after the second assessment. The results were then measured using BCI Model (Behavioural Change for Intervention).
Generally, the overall knowledge, overall attitude, intended condom use, and assertive behavior does not meet expectation. However, the attitude of delaying sex increases. The programs overall effect was minimal and not statistically significant.(Kinsman, Nakiying, Kamali, Carpenter, Quigley, Pool & Withworth)

Reviews on Article 3

Sex and HIV education programs: Their impact on sexual behaviours of young people throughout the world
More and more young people are delaying their marriage until they are older in developing countries. However, at the same time, they are also more likely to have sex before marriage, and this increases premarital pregnancy rates and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), as well as AIDs. Sex and HIV or STD education programs partially solves this problem. Written curriculum in sex and HIV or STD programs are implemented among groups of youth in settings like schools, clinic or community settings are the most promising form of education for now.
This research is carried out to determine the effect, if any, of the curriculum based sex and HIV education programs on sexually risky behavior, STD’s and unwanted pregnancy rates and the mediating factors (knowledge and attitudes) that effects those behavior. Also, the research covers the common characteristics of the curriculum-based programs that were effective in changing sexual risk behavior.
Adolescents or young adults aged between 9 to 24 years old were exposed to curriculum based sex or HIV education program. Then, they are later measured on their sexual activity, based on; Initiation of sex, Frequency of sex, Numbers of sexual partners and Condom use.
The study shows that the programs are more likely to have positive than negative impact on teenager and young adult’s sexual behavior. 65% shows positive effect on their sexual behavior, 7% of the participants developed negative effect from the program, and as for the rest, there are not much impact. A third of participants of the program claimed to have positive impact on their behavior or outcomes. Generally, participants shows increase of condom use, reduce the numbers of sexual partners and reduced unprotected sex.(Kirby, Laris,& Rolleri, 2007)

Reviews on Article 2

Preventing AIDs and other STDs through condom promotion: A patient education intervention
Condoms are one of the most important in AIDs campaigns launched to promote the use of condoms to gay community, prostitutes, female partners of drug users, bisexuals, and individuals with multiple sex partners. Hence, in 1989, Mildred, Solomon, and DeJung carried out a research to determine whether of education and accessibility to free condoms increases the use of condoms.
Participants came from two different groups of people. A group receives education to provide knowledge and the right attitude towards the use of condoms and another group were given accessibility to free condoms. The first group were shown a video, featuring a story of a young black woman who have had two cases of gonorrhea and recently returned from hospital because of pelvic inflammatory disease. Her brother and girlfriend, who are sexually attractive and sexually active adviced her to persuade her boyfriend to use condom by communicating successfully with good grace and humour. Meanwhile, the second group consists of patients from Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic at Boston City Hospital were given coupon to redeem free condoms.
Research shows that both education and accessibility increases the usage of condoms. In addition, STD patients who are given coupon to redeem free condoms are more likely to redeem the free condom after watching the video show to the first group. This supports the idea that education coupled with accessibility to condoms could increase the usage of condoms, and hence, may prevent STD like AIDs.(Mildred, Solomon &DEJong, 1989)

Reviews on Article 1

Public opinion on sex education in US schools
HIV infection and AIDs had increased by 10% from year 2000 to 2003 in The United States of America. Hence, sexual education programs are implemented, but however sparks some debate the effectiveness and the choice of appropriateness of sex education. Teenagers and young adults, aged between 15 to 24 years of age were 25% of the sexually active population in US. Therefore, this study is carried out to obtain the public’s opinion regarding sex education in school.
To determine the public’s opinion on sex education, participants were randomly selected, aged between 18 to 83 years old to represent the publics population. Total participants who took the cross-sectional survey was 1096. Respondents were asked about their beliefs or expectations about the educational efficacy of different sex education approaches. Their answers were self-reported and measured on a 7-point scale from “extremely liberal” to “extremely conservative”.
The results of this study shows that 82% of the public supports the program that teaches student using the combination of abstinence and other methods in preventing premarital pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Meanwhile, 68.5% supports the teaching on using a condom properly. 36% of the population believes that abstinence only programs works fine and 50% of US citizens supports all the three approaches.(Bleakleym Hennessy, Fishbein)