Chapter 3
Methods And Procedure
This chapter will discuss the method of research to be used, the respondents of the study, the sampling technique, the instrument to be used, the validation of the instrument, the administration of the of the instrument and the statistical treatment of the data that will be gathered.
Method of Research to be UsedAccess to effective sexual health education is an important contributing factor to the health and well-being of teenage African-American females. School-based sex education programs are an essential avenue for providing sexual health education to young people. Educators, public health professionals, and others who are committed to providing high quality sexual health education in schools and other community settings are often asked to explain the rationale, philosophy, and content of proposed or existing sexual health education programs.
This study will use the quasi-experimental design. A quasi-experimental design is one that looks a bit like an experimental design but lacks the key ingredient -- random assignment. Taken as a group, they are easily more frequently implemented than their randomized cousins. This study shall specifically utilize the nonequivalent groups design. In its simplest form it requires a pretest and posttest for a treated and comparison group. It is structured like a pretest-posttest randomized experiment by using intact groups that the researcher thinks are similar as the treatment and control groups. The selection of groups should be as similar as possible. Moreover, the assignment to group was not random. In other words, the researcher did not control the assignment to groups through the mechanism of random assignment. As a result, the groups may be different prior to the study.
This proposed study shall utilize the quasi-experimental design in assessing the multi-dimensional approach to sex education program and dual abstinence among 11-15 year old African American females in Hancock City, Georgia. This design was chosen because a pre-test and a post-test shall be conducted based on a 7-year timeframe for the program.
This proposed study is designed to support the provision of high quality sexual health education in teenage African-American females in Hancock County, Georgia. It shall provide answers to some of the most common questions that parents, educators, program planners, school and health administrators, and concerned citizens may have about sexual health education. Moreover, it shall investigate the effectiveness of a multidimensional approach to sexual education on the pregnancy rates of rural African-American adolescents.
Programs should both encourage youths to delay or refrain from intercourse and also encourage them to use contraceptives if they initiate intercourse. Programs should be both age and experience appropriate. That is, programs for younger adolescents should focus more upon delaying intercourse, while those for older youths should focus more upon condoms and other
contraceptives (Kirby et al., 1994, p. 359).
Effective prevention programs clearly focus on reducing specific sexual risk-taking behaviors, provide directly relevant information, give students the opportunity to develop the motivation and personal insight to use the information, and help them to develop the behavioral skills necessary to carry out health promoting behaviors.
Effective prevention programs provide the information, motivation, and behavioral skills to help adolescents delay first intercourse and to use contraceptives/condoms properly and consistently if and when they experience sexual intercourse. Research consistently shows that well designed programs employing this dual approach are effective in both delaying first intercourse and increasing the use of contraceptives/condoms for those who are sexually active (Brown & Eisenberg, 1995; Frost & Darroch Forrest, 1995; Kirby et al., 1994; Kirby, 2000).
As an important part of its contribution to adolescent development, sexual health education can play a key role in the primary prevention of significant sexual health problems. Effective sexual health education provides opportunities for individuals to explore the attitudes, feelings, values and moral perspectives that may influence their own choices regarding sexual health.
The primary source of data will come from a pre-test and post-test evaluation of sexual activities, body image attitudes, and sexual attitudes of 11-15 year old African Americans in Hancock City, Georgia. This study shall be using the Carrera model in evaluating the effectiveness of the multi-dimensional program in promoting dual abstinence and effective sexual health practices among the respondents. The timeframe for the evaluation is 7 years. This is sufficient time to gather the data and present a sound conclusion regarding the multi-dimensional program.
The secondary sources of data will come from published articles from social science, sex education and health journals, theses and related studies on sex education.
For this research design, the researcher will gather data, collate published studies from different local and foreign universities and articles from social science journals, distribute sampling questionnaires; arrange interviews; and make a content analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material. Afterwards, the researcher will summarize all the information, make a conclusion based on the null hypotheses posited and provide insightful recommendations on the dealing with sex education and dual abstinence among African-American in Georgia and the effectiveness of multi-dimensional sex education programs among female African-American teenagers.
Respondents of the Study The general population for this study will be composed of twenty (20) African American Females ages 11-15 years old residing in Hancock City, Georgia. Participants will be chosen with the help of the school system meeting at-risk indicators: female, lower-income family, lack of involvement in school, lack of performance in school, and number of previous pregnancies. Moreover, it is important that all of the participants will have a negative pregnancy history. Instrument to be UsedThis proposed study shall be implementing the Carrera model of multi-dimensional sex education program in assessing the progress of the respondents in their sexual activities, bodily attitudes and sex attitudes. This approach centers on the belief that success in school, meaningful employment, access to quality medical and health services, and interactions with high caliber, role model adults, have a potent contraceptive effect on teens. The program centers on all the forces and factors affecting the life of a teen at that time in their development, and discusses sexual issues within the context of an adolescent's whole life.
The program incorporates a separate parent participation and includes seven program components: educational support, career awareness and job club, lifetime sports, creative expression, comprehensive medical and dental services, mental health services and family life and sex education. The overall philosophy of this approach is based on the belief that young people with whom we work are not "at risk" but rather "at promise."
This proposed study shall be utilizing this approach and the measure of this approach in pre-testing the respondents. The seven year time frame shall be also include an evaluation throughout the years so that the study can properly monitor the outcome and the reactions of the participants in the study.
ProcedureAfter receiving ethics approval, the researcher shall seek the cooperation of the respondents’ family. The seven year period may prove to be quite straining for the respondents. Thus, the researcher shall be providing a waiver stating that in cases when the respondent may not take part of the study anymore, he/she may freely do so. Thus, in order to avoid a shortage of respondents, thirty (30) will be included in the study. Responses will be anonymous and confidential.
References
Brown, S., & Eisenberg, L. (eds.). (1995). The Best Intentions: Unintended Pregnancy and the Well-Being of Children and Families. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Frost, J., & Darroch Forrest, J. (1995). Understanding the impact of effective teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Family Planning Perspectives, 27, 188-195.
Kirby, D. (2000). School-based interventions to prevent unprotected sex and HIV among adolescents. In J. Peterson & R. Diclemente (Eds.), Handbook of HIV Prevention (pp. 83-97). New York: Plenum Publishers.
Kirby, D. et al. (1994). School-based programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors: A review of effectiveness. Public Health Reports, 109, 339-360.
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