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This is to certify that the
thesis entitled
Adolescent Sexuality Education:
A Survey within the Biack Church

presented by

Jeanette M. Gassaway

has been accepted towards fulfillment
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Master's degeeinpsxchoiogx

Major professor

Date August 10, 1989

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ll-

ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY EDUCATION:
A SURVEY WITHIN THE BLACK CHURCH

By

Jeanette M. Gassaway

AN ABSTRACT OF A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment to the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Department of Psychology

1989

£003 6 3r as;

ABSTRACT

ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY EDUCATION:
A SURVEY WITHIN THE BIACK CHURCH

By

Jeanette M. Gassaway

This study assessed the informational interests of adolescents
and their parents for sexuality education, adolescents' sexual
knowledge and sexual concerns, adolescents' first, current, and
preferred sources of information as indicated by adolescents and
parents, and parent-chfld communication about sexuality.

The results indicated that adolescents were marginally
interested in obtaining more information about sexuality topics while
parents were significantly more interested in their adolescents
obtaining more information on sexuality topics. Adolescents were
knowledgeable about sexual functioning, and were not greatly
concerned about the sexual issues presented. Mother, school, and
friends were both adolescents' first and current sources of sexuality
information. They preferred mother, school, and church. Parents
reported that mother, school, and father were adolescents' current
sources of sexuality information. Parents preferred mother, church,
and father. Parents reported discussing and wanting to discuss
sexuality with their children and feeling comfortable in doing so

significantly more than adolescents.

l
dedicate
this thesis to
the source of my existence
and hope,
7175115 CHRIST
and
to the memory of
His {Precious Servant,
Bishop Charles ‘W. Watkins
who was my pastor,
my mentor,
hut most of a[[,
my friend.

'flast thou not Known? fast thou not heard that
The eoeriasting god, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
{Fainteth not, neither is weary?
Qhere is no searching of His understanding.
He gioeth power to the faint; and to them that have no might
He increaseth strength.
Even the youths shad faint and he weary and the young men shad utteriyfad.
fiat they that wait upon the Lord shad renew their strength;
‘Zhey shad mount up with wings as eagfes. They shad run and not he weary; and

r[hey shad walh and not faint. '

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In every major effort of my life, I find that I depend on the
assistance, support, and encouragement of others to successfully
complete a task. My success in any endeavor as well as in this one is
dependent upon those who assist me academically and intellectually;
on those who support me emotionally, spiritually, and financially; and
on those who encourage me to continue until the task is complete,
reassuring me that I can, I must, and I will.... This dependency is the
"secret to my success." I make no apologies for being dependent; I am
only overwhelmed with gratitude because others have been willing to
allow me the privilege of depending on them. Therefore, I must take
this brief moment to thank many of those on whom I have depended
upon to complete this thesis.

My thesis would not exist without the assistance of the pastors
and members of the churches who participated in this research. They
were: Pastor Charles E. Bicy and the members of the New Jerusalem
Church, District Elder Hobart Greg and the members of King's
Chapel Assembly, and the late Bishop Charles W. Watkins and the
members of the Pentecostal Church of Christ. They all enthusiastically
consented to participate and supported this work.

Dr. William Davidson's assistance as chairperson of my thesis
committee was irnmeasureable. With humor, tolerance, and patience,

he muddled through many variations on a theme of what I now call a

ii

thesis, advising, revising, and making suggestions in order to bring
some "method to madness," and some "order to choas." Because of his
assistance, I have a product that is both methodic and orderly.

The assistance from the other members of my thesis committee
was valuable and appreciated as well. Dr. Deb Bybee, because of her
statistical and grammatical skills, helped make my work both
technically sound and grammatically coherent. Her assistance added
another dimension of quality to this work. Dr. Tom Reischl's
enthusiasm and interest in my work, though it might seem trivial to
some, was an important source of motivation and encouragement.

Claire Wiitala, Davonna Green, and Trevor Spencer were
research assistants with whom I had both the privilege and the
pleasure to have had work with me over the past year. Each was
competent, motivated, and dedicated to their tasks. Because of their
assistance, I was able to complete my work in an efficient and timely
manner. They kept me on task, on track, and in line. Trevor
Spencer's assistance, having worked the longest on this project, was
exceptionally valuable. He refused to present less than quality work
and insisted upon helping me when I needed it the most.

My mother's assistance (Doris L. Gassaway) emanated from the
pure heart of a mother who not only wanted "the best" for her
daughter and wanted her to succeed but wanted her daughter to "have
fun" while trying. This was a great source of encouragement to me.
She also was my financial buffer, that source of extra income when my
student wages just was not enough. My mother is and will always be a
constant source of inspiration as a model of personal strength and

endurance.

iii

Theresa Hatten held my hand throughout this endeavor both
naturally and in spirit. She kept me encouraged by praying for me
during my most difficult times, by listening to me as I rejoiced, and by
empathizing with me as I cried. She was my biggest fan, my greatest
supporter, and my dearest friend.

If there was a word bigger than biggest, greater than greatest, or
dearer than dearest, then that would be how I would describe the late
Bishop Charles W. Watkins. He was the scholarly example that
inspired my educational aspirations and the catapult from which I
launched this project. He was the fatherly image which endowed me
with a child-like sense of security, and the best godly model of purity,
gentleness, kindness, love, and Christ-likeness I had ever known

which taught me the wonder of knowing and loving God.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
Adolescent Sexual Activity: Overview .................................................... 3
Sexuality Education: Overview .................................................................. 7
Literature Review: Sexuality Education .................................................. 9
Assessment of Needs ............................................................................. 9
Adolescents ........................................................................................... 9
Parents and Adolescents ............................................................... l 5
Parents .................................................................................................. 1 7
Summary: Assessment of Needs ..................................................... 1 9
Evaluation of Sexuality Education Programs ............................... 20
School Based Programs ................................................................. 20
Nonschool Based Programs ......................................................... 31
Summary: Evaluation of Sexuality Education
Programs ................................................................................................ 32
Research Questions ..................................................................................... 3 3
CHAPTER 2
METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 38
Sample ............................................................................................................. 38
DCSIQ’I ............................................................................................................... 4 1
Procedures ..................................................................................................... 4 1
Instruments ................................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER 3
RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 52
Topics for Sexuality Education: Adolescents and
Parents .......................................................................................................... 52
Knowledge and Worry Scores for Adolescents ................................ 57
Source of Adolescent Sexuality Information
According to Adolescents and Parents ............................................. 6 2
Parental-Child Discussion about Sexuality ......................................... 67
Parental Knowledge about Sexuality .................................................. 6 9
Amount of Sexuality Education Taken by Adolescents ................... 7 0
Appropriate Age, Format, and Time frame for
Sexuality Education .................................................................................. 7 0
Parents as Primary Source of Sexuality Education ......................... 72
Summary ......................................................................................................... 7 3

V

CHAPTER 4

DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 7 7
Limitations ...................................................................................................... 83
Implications for Sexuality Education ................................................... 8 5

FOOTNOTES .............................................................................................................. 88
LIST OF REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 8 9
APPENDICES

A - Adolescents' Survey ................................................................................. 9 4

B — Parents' Survey ........................................................................................ l 02

LIST OF TABLES

Alpha and Corrected Item-Total Correlations

for Adolescents‘ Topics Scale ............................................................... 44 — 45
Alpha and Corrected Item-total Correlations for

Knowledge Scale ................................................................................................ 47
Alpha and Corrected Item-Total Correlations for

Worry Scale ......................................................................................................... 49
Alpha and Corrected Item—Total Correlations for

Parents' Topics Scale ............................................................................... 5O - 5 1
Percentages, Gender Differences, Youth and Parents

Differences for Sexuality Topics .......................................................... 54 - 5 5
Percentage of Number of Correct Responses and

Gender Differences on Knowledge Scale ......................................... 59-60
Percentages and Gender Differences on Worry Scale ....................... 6 1

Percentages and Differences of Sources of Adolescents'
Sexuality Information According to Adolescents and Parents ...... 63

Percentages and Gender Differences for Adolescents‘
Sources of Sexuality Information ............................................................... 64

CHAPTER 1
Introduction

"Our study has shown what we consider an unfortunate tendency
toward premature intercourse among adolescents," is the conclusion
made by Robert Sorensen in 1973 after a comprehensive study of
adolescents, ages 13 through 19. His conclusions are based upon
problems he and many other researchers have observed regarding
adolescent sexuality. These problems include not only pregnancy,
sexually transmitted diseases, and other physical problems, but
psychological, emotional, and social problems as well (National
Institute of Health, 1978; Scott, 1983; Sorensen, 1973; Zelnick,
Kanter & Ford, 1981). A widely accepted and supported means of
addressing these problems is through sexuality education which is
offered as a tool in the amelioration of the problems related to
adolescent sexuality (Scales, 1983) by providing adolescents with
adequate information to promote and "encourage responsible sexual
behavior" (Herz, Goldberg & Reis, 1984, p. 311). The basic
assumptions are given the proper constitution, composition, and
presentation, and having assessed and included within the curriculum
those topics and issues which are directly relevant to the needs of the
youths, parents, and the community, sexuality education can have
positive preventive effects when addressing the problems of
adolescent sexuality.

This study examines the perceived needs of adolescents and

their parents for sexuality education in a population that is ignored in

2
this body of literature, adolescents within the Black church. Although
Blacks are the largest, non-white ethnic group in the United States,
relatively little attention is given to the needs of Black adolescents by
researchers and educators (Scott 8: McKenry, 1977). The following
review of literature on adolescent sexuality lends overwhelming
support to this assertion. The Black adolescent population is virtually
ignored.

The Black church is the focal point of the Black community.
According to Wyatt T. Walter (1977), the Black church "...is the most
beloved and respected institution in the Afro-American experience,"
and is "an arena of prime influence in the life and activity of the Black
community" (p. 67). It not only serves the Black community's religious
and spiritual needs, but serves its social, psychological, political, and
economic needs as well (Walker, 1977). Given the importance of the
Black church for the Black community, it seems appropriate to assess
the needs of adolescents within the Black church.

This thesis is one of the first attempts if not the first attempt
made to understand the needs of Black adolescents and their parents
for sexuality education within a primary and extremely important
institution of the Black community, the Black church. This
assessment will be used to determine their needs and to design a
curriculum relative to these needs.

Sex education literature has been obtained from the "Cumulative
Index to Journals in Education" from 1976 through 1987, and from
the Journal of Education from 1976 to “1987. Included in the review
are articles that directly relate to the evaluation and the efficacy of

sexuality education for adolescents and articles relate to the

3
assessment of needs and topics for sexuality education. Excluded from
the literature are articles which are from foreign countries, articles
which do not relate to the appropriate age group, and articles which
do not relate to "normal" adolescents (i.e. juvenile delinquents,

substance abusers, etc.).

Adolescent Sexual Activity: Overview

More and more adolescents are sexually active and at younger
ages (NIMH, 1978). On April 25, 1979, the House Select Committee
of Population reported that one out of every five American children
have had intercourse at the age of 13 or 14. In 1981, the Alan
Guttmach Institute reported that 12 million of 29 million adolescents
between the ages of 13 and 19 had intercourse, nearly half of all
adolescents. In 1976, 41% of the girls between the ages of 15 and 19
were sexually active (Zelnick et a1, 1981). Sixty percent of Black
adolescent males are sexually active by age 16, and 42% are sexually
active by age 15. Sixty percent of the Black females are sexually active
by age 18 (Brooks-Gunn 8: Furstenberg, 1989).

This is not a benign occurrence. Sexually active adolescents
experience problems. There are psychological problems related to
sexual behaviors among adolescents. Cognitively, young adolescents
are not ready for the realities of sex; and it may have negative effects
on maturation of certain cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal skills
(NIMH, 1978). Adolescents cannot think about a relationship in terms
of "conceptual, non-egocentric, future-oriented terms until the middle
or later stages of adolescence" (NIMH, 1978). Adolescents have

situational ethics when involved with sexual activity (NIMH, 1978;

4
Sorensen, 1973), and cannot comprehend the whole view of sexuality
nor can they relate realistically or responsibly to a sexual relationship
(NIMH, 1978). The portrayal of sex in the media as "impermanent
and emotionless" may be well suited for the egocentric adolescent who
is unable to relate realistically to a sexual relationship. Adolescents'
egos are not fully developed or values clarified (NIMH, 1978;
Sorensen, 1973). Adolescents may experience low self regard and
poor impulse control (lack of ego strength) (NIMH, 1978; Mast, 1986)
as a result of sexual intercourse. Studies find that at least one-third of
all sexually active adolescents experience anxiety and guilt regarding
their behavior, especially for females (NIMH, 1978). In summary,
adolescents, especially young adolescents, are not psychologically or
emotionally prepared for sexual intercourse.

Adolescents are experiencing biological problems besides that of
pregnancy. Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing within the
adolescent population. Between 1956 and 1976 gonorrhea had
increased by 2-1 /2 times for male adolescents and 4-1/ 2 times among
female adolescents. In 1976, 2.6 million cases were reported
annually for ages 15 - 19 (Zelnick, et al, 1981). Sexually transmitted
diseases are increasing in the preadolescent ages as well. It is
estimated that 2.5 million adolescents contract sexually transmitted
diseases annually (Gordon et a1, 1979). There are risks of contracting
such diseases as syphilis, herpes, and chlamydia. Brooks-Gunn and
Furstenberg (1989) states that "female teenagers have the highest
rates of gonorrhea, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia cervicitis, and pelvic

inflammatory diseases of any age group" (p. 254). There is also risk of

5
contracting the most deadly disease, AIDS (Brooks-Gunn &
Furstenberg, 1989; Mast, 1986).

AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, "is an epidemic
that has already killed thousands of people, mostly young..." (Koop,
1986, p. 3). AIDS is the most severe of all the sexually transmitted
diseases and is ultimately fatal. There is no cure for AIDS or
preventive vaccine. It is estimated that 1.5 million people in the
United States are infected with the AIDS virus. The number of known
cases in the US. is over 25,000, and of these, almost half have died of
the disease (Koop, 1986). This problem elevates the seriousness of
adolescent sexuality to a threat of death, and it alone warrants great
concern and urgency to prevent occurrences of AIDS within the
adolescent population.

Pregnancy is a well documented and publicized problem of
adolescents. Of the 12 million sexually active adolescents,
approximately 30% use contraceptives (Janus, 1981; NIMH, 1978).
The younger the adolescent, the more unlikely it is that they will use
contraceptives. Consequently, pregnancy rates have risen along with
the rate of sexual activity. In 1983, there were 1.1 million
pregnancies and more than 500,000 births (Children's Defense Fund,
1986). More than half of all births in the United States are to
adolescent mothers (House Select Committee on Population, 1979).
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare reported in 1978
that 9,000 babies were born to girls 1 1 years old and younger. These
figures do not include abortions, miscarriages, and unreported births

and pregnancies.

6

There are numerous problems associated with adolescent
pregnancy and parenthood. The mortality rate for adolescent births is
high, and the chances of birth defects are greater (Janus, 1981).
Among adolescent parents, there is an increased incidence of
unfinished education (2/ 3 never finish school), unskilled employment,
welfare dependency and family instability (Bignell, 1982; Children's
defense Fund, 1986; Levering, 1983). The suicide rate for teen
mothers is 10 times that of the total population (Bignell, 1982;
Children's Defense Fund, 1986).

Adolescent pregnancy, as stated by the Children's Defense Fund
(1986), is a national problem, but is a crisis in minority communities.
Of the 500,000 births to adolescent mothers, 142,105 are to Black
mothers, or 24.2%. By 18, 22% of Black females are mothers (Ladner,
1987).

A factor compounding these problems is ignorance. Ignorance
concerning sex and related issues is pervasive among adolescents.
The majority of adolescents report that they learn about sex from
friends, and much of this information is inaccurate (Finkel & Finkel,
1983; Gordon, et al, 1979; Fabes, 1984; Kirby, 1980; Quinn, 1981).
Adolescents are also accumulating a vast amount of information from
the media (Jorgensen & Alexander, 1983; Thornburg, 1981) which
presents a shallow and biased view of sexuality relating solely to the
physical act of sexual intercourse, often coupled with violence. Many
suggest that the influence of mass media has encouraged children to
become sexually active (NIMH, 1978; Sorensen, 1973).

Certainly, given the problems experienced by the sexually active

adolescents, one can conclude, as Sorensen has, that there is an

za-na- v“. . an." .

7
"unfortunate tendency for premature intercourse among adolescents."
Sexuality education is a potential preventive tool which can be used to
address and ameliorate the problems occurring for sexually active

adolescents.

Sexuality Education: Overview
Sexuality education began in the late 1800's and early 1900's

and has had popular support from its inception. Over time, it has
assumed a monumental responsibility of addressing the problems
related to adolescent sexuality. Though sexuality education is widely
supported, the amount and the quality of sexuality education obtained
by adolescents varies. In 1979, three-fourths of metropolitan area
young men and women were estimated to have received sex education
in school, and one-third to one-half of all US. schools provide some
sex education though such instruction is rarely a comprehensive,
separate course, and most instruction is given in the high school
(Gurman & Jacknik, 1980). Only 10% received comprehensive
sexuality education (Maslach & Kerr, 1983). Little is known of the
impact of sexuality education for junior high level adolescents.
Whether or not sex education can have an impact on adolescent
sexual activities is still uncertain. Many suggest that the goals of
sexuality education are too idealistic and that it is unrealistic to believe
that sexuality education can change attitudes and behaviors related to
sexuality or behaviors in general, especially when adolescents are
being influenced by many other "powerful and frequently contrary
influences" such as the media (Kenney & Orr, 1984; Obstfeld &
Meyers, 1984; Kirby, 1980; Strouse & Fabes, 1985) and peers.

8

Evaluations of sexuality education suggest that it is effective in
increasing knowledge but has very little impact on attitudes and
behaviors (Kirby, 1980; Kirby, 1985; Kenney & Orr, 1984). However,
these studies usually lack adequate experimental designs which
include random assignment of subjects, adequate sample size, use of
control groups and use of longitudinal designs to measure the effects
over time (Kirby, 1985; Strouse & Fabes, 1985). Therefore, these
studies do not adequately determine effects and the conclusions based
on these studies are weak.

There may be several reasons why sexuality education
presumably has failed to attain the implicit or explicit goals.

According to Shirreffs & Dezelsky (1979), sexuality education is
"inadequate, erroneous and poorly timed." Strouse and Fabes (1985)
have suggested that sexuality education usually lacks adequate design
(most programs are not comprehensive), is not relevant to the
cognitive and moral needs of the youths nor does it adequately address
the powerful influence of the media.

These and other researchers recommend that sexuality
education be comprehensive (presenting a wholistic view of sexuality
which encompasses biological, social, psychological, and moral aspects
of sexuality), and begin at earlier ages and continue until late
adolescence. They also recommend that sexuality education have
adequately trained teachers, include issues related to the media's
influence on behaviors, teach parents to understand and address this
influence, use standardized measures of attitudes, and have long-term
data collection. Still others recommend that the needs of the

adolescents be incorporated into the program development, and that

9
teens, parents, and the community be involved in the development of
the sexuality program. Scales (1985) recommends that sexuality
education be a part of a wholistic approach and be integrated within
programs that enhance motivation. .
Therefore, proponents of sexuality education are convinced that
given the right constitution, it can have sufficient impact to prevent

problems related to adolescent sexual activity.

Literature Review: Sexuality Education

The literature examined for this thesis reviewed prior efforts to
assess the informational needs and interests of adolescents and their
parents for sexuality education, as well as examined evaluations of
sexuality education programs.

Assessment of Needs

Adolescents. Maslach 8: Kerr (1983) examined data from the
Contraception Among Adolescent Study (CAA) project to obtain
information about what topics should be presented in sexuality
education, how the material should be effectively presented, and who
should present the material. Eighty eight adolescents from the ages of
11-19, grades 7th through college from Buffalo, New York were
interviewed using unstructured interviews given by trained
interviewers to obtain information regarding adolescents' general
attitudes and experiences about dating, sexuality, and contraception.
The sample was predominately white females.

The results indicated that a sexuality education curriculum
should include topics about "double standards," "labelling people," and

"single parents." It should emphasize the physical and emotional

10
aspects of sexual intercourse while presenting various viewpoints on
those issues. There should be specific classes for parents to help
them understand teenagers' sexual needs. For class format, it was
suggested that there should be small classes of same sex students with
occasional coed class for "debate" or discussion. The presenters or
teachers of the class should be outside lecturers or regular teachers
who were open, spoke "freely," who were straightforward and honest,
and who could answer all questions and be tolerant. Generally, the
lecturer should be the same sex as the class members.

This study had several weaknesses. First of all, the study used
qualitative data (unstructured interviews). The findings were
inadequately presented without any indications of how the data were
analyzed. For example, it was stated that a content analysis was done
but there were no details of the procedure used or results. There was
no report of reliability or validity of the measures. There were also no
indications of statistical analyses. Also this study had limited external
validity because participation was voluntary, there was no random
selection of subjects, and the subjects were primarily white and female
though attempts were made to include other races and males.

Rubenstein, Watson, Drolette, and Rubenstein (1976) surveyed
130 ninth grade adolescents in the Boston area in 1973 to determine
which aspects of sex they were most interested in learning about, and
how girls and boys differed in their interests. The sample included 65
boys and 65 girls from 5 schools (1 public co-ed, 1 Catholic girls, 1
Catholic boys, and 2 private non-religious co-ed). Their participation
was voluntary. The instrument developed for this study was the Sex
Education Vocabulary Check List (SEVC), a list of 1 12 randomly

1 I
ordered sexual terms. The students were asked to indicate their
degree of interest by indicating how much more they wanted to learn
about the subject- "very much, a little, not at all, or I don't know what
the words means." The data were analyzed using analysis of variance
to examine group and male-female differences.

The results indicated that there were strong similarities and a
few differences between the girls and boys in their top interest terms.
Girls and boys had twelve terms in common for each of their top 13
selections. Girls' top 13 selections were birth control, abortion, birth
control pill, venereal disease, pregnancy, love, fear of sex, guilt about
sex, rape, enjoyment of sex, sexual intercourse, sex offenses, and
prostitution. The boys' top 13 selections were venereal disease,
enjoyment of sex, sexual intercourse, birth control, love, oral
intercourse, pregnancy, abortion, guilt about sex, birth control pills,
fear of sex, sex offences, and prostitution. Despite similarities,
differences existed. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on
birth control, abortion, birth control pills, and rape. Boys scored
higher than the girls but not significantly differently on enjoyment,
oral intercourse, sexual intercourse, and venereal disease. There were
no significant differences found between the 5 groups of girls (from
the 5 different schools) in interest in 8 of their 13 top words nor were
there any significant differences found between the 5 groups of boys in
interest in 11 of their 13 top choices. ‘

Rubenstein, et al. (1976) concluded that girls and boys had

similar interests and:

were not primarily interested in learning more about anatomy or
physiology, or topics traditionally considered of interest to
adolescents, such as necking, petting, dating, masturbation, and
menstruation. Their principle concerns were sexual

 

12

intercourse, its consequences and its context, with each sex
having a somewhat different point of view. As a result, we
recommend that these concerns be presented as central issues
and discussed scientifically and in a straightforward manner in
any book or curriculum purporting to teach young adolescents
about sex. (p.495).

This study had a few weaknesses. First, though the schools
within this study reportedly represented various SES regions and
represented various educational and religious philosophies, they were
not randomly selected. This limited the external validity of the study.
Secondly, there was no report on reliability or validity of the measures
or on the statistical procedures used to analyze the data. Last, the
sample was not adequately described. There was no indication of the
race or ethnic background of the subjects.

Shirreffs & Dezelsky (1979) assumed that past educational
attempts for sexuality were "inadequate, erroneous, and poorly timed."
They surveyed 417 adolescents in 1972 and 194 adolescents in 1978
to determine adolescents' knowledge and perceptions about sex and
sexuality, adolescents' reported needs for additional information, and
whether differences existed regarding perceived needs or knowledge
levels between adolescents in 1972 and 1978. The sample included
adolescents in grades 9-12, ages 13-18 who lived in Maricopa County,
Arizona. Volunteers were from church youth groups, high schools, and
social and service clubs. The sample was given a self-administered
questionnaire developed for the 1972 study which included
demographic data and 49 questions related to sex education issues.
The data were descriptively analyzed.

The responses were grouped into 5 sections - characteristics of
the study population, background exposure to information about sex,

opinions about sex education, attitudes toward sexuality, and

13
comparison of 1972 and 1978 adolescent responses. In 1972, the
sample was 46% male and 54% female. In 1978, the sample was 36%
male and 64% female. In 1972, most were 14 - 15 years old, and
42% were Protestant, 48% were Catholic, and 1 1% were other. In
1978, 27% were Protestant, 34% were Catholic, and 39% were other.

In the 1972 sample, 53% received their first information about
sex during elementary school, in 1978 61% did. Both the 1972 and
1978 samples primarily reported friends were their primary source of
information. Mothers more frequently than fathers were the first
source of sex information, especially in the 1972 sample. From 1972
to 1978, there was an increase in media as a source of information.

For preference of sources of information, in 1972 they found .
that most preferred schools (22%), then mothers (20%), mothers and
fathers (20%) and friends (11%). In 1978, most preferred friends
(32%) then media (17%) and mothers (13%). The results of this
comparative study indicated that in 1972 sex education in schools and
from parents were preferred sources of sex education, while in 1978
friends and media were preferred sources.

Both samples identified areas that were important for
adolescents' understanding of sex. In 1972 venereal disease,
reproduction, pregnancy, and biologr of females and males were
ranked most important areas to understanding sex. In 1978
pregnancy and preparing for marriage were listed as first priority,
while birth control, understanding yourself and preparing for
parenthood were next.

The results indicated that while there were some similarities

between the 2 groups, sharp contrasts in expressed opinions also

 

l4
existed. In both samples, the majority of respondents who received
their first sex information prior to entrance into school was small by
comparison with those who received their first instruction in school.
In 1978, fewer adolescents were receiving sex education in the
schools. Only one—third as many students in 1978 as compared with
1972 preferred this source of sex education. In 1978, respondents
preferred to obtain information about sex and sexuality through the
media, not the schools. From 1972 to 1978, masturbation, A
pornography, homosexuality remained the lowest ranked topics.

Overall, based on 1972 and 1978 studies, subjects in both
samples viewed accurate information about sex and an improved
understanding of sex and sexuality as a definite need for young people.
The subjects felt that sex education should include biology,
psychology, religion and morals, and that such education should begin
in elementary school. Friends and media were becoming increasingly
important and preferred sources of sex information. Topics such as
preparation for marriage and parenthood, birth control/ contraception
and strategies designed to assist adolescents in understanding
themselves were much more important in 1978 than they were five
years before.

From these results, Shirreffs & Dezelsky (1979) concluded that
sex education programs should be a part of the total educational
process of adolescents, and adolescents should be included in the
planning of sexuality education programs.

This study had a major flaw. No methodological basis was given
for a comparison between the 2 samples. Few sample characteristics

and no sampling procedures were reported, and there was no

 

1 5
indication that the samples were from the same populations. If the
samples different on many demographic variables, a valid conclusion
could not be made.

Parents and Adolescents. Yarber (1979) examined and
compared the views of students, parents, teachers, and principals
regarding the amount of instructional emphasis that should be given to
family life (FL) and sexuality education (SE). A sample of 1819 3rd,
6th, 9th, and 12th grade students, their parents (N=1108), and their
teachers (N=68), and principals (N=38) were given a questionnaire to
assess their views. Using chi-square analysis and Cramer's V test,
Yarber found that more than 90% of all four groups said that sex
education should have a major emphasis or minor emphasis. Students
indicated strong interest for FL/ SE at all four grade levels, and
elementary levels indicated a strong desire for more FL/ SE. Family
life and sexuality education was supported similarly at each grade level
by the parents of the groups.

Yarber (1979) concluded that a large percentage of each group
at each level supported at least some instructional emphasis in FL/ SE.
All groups supported more comprehensive FL/ SE. Teachers and
principals favored a more comprehensive education at secondary level.
The groups felt that the majority of health science areas should be
given more emphasis than FL/ SE at the elementary level, and FL/ SE
should be given more priority than other areas at the secondary
grades.

This study had several limitations. The sample was not
adequately described to be able to assess the characteristics of the

population. The only sample characteristics reported were grade

16
level, teacher, principal, and student. It was stated that "most of the
district patrons are middle-income families with generally
conservative social and political values" (p. 264). Though it was large,
the sample only represented a "large, county school corporation" (p.
264). The results were not generalizable beyond this population. Also
there was no indication of race or ethnic background, no indication of
how the sample was chosen, and there was no report on reliability and
validity of the measures used. Finally, though statistical analyses were
performed, no results from these analyses were reported.

Rubinson & Baillie (1981) conducted a study to assess
community needs for sex education, identify sex education topics for
curriculum development (those which were accepted and supported
by parents and teens), and identify methods of assessment. A random
sample of 204 parents and teens from a small midwestern community
responded to a survey. Two questionnaires were used for assessment.
Chi-square analysis, t-tests, correlational procedures and factor
analyses were used to analyze the data. A

The results indicated that the community needs assessment was
effective in reducing negative political input and facilitating use of
schools for use as public health resources; there were major
differences between parents and teens in perceptions of sex education
needs, especially in identification of important social problems; and
there were differences between parents' perception of adolescents'
sexual behavior and adolescents' reported sexual behavior.

This study had a few weaknesses. This study was based on a
model of sexuality education called "PRECEDE." The model was

reported to have seven phases. The researchers made the assumption

 

1 7
that the reader understood and was familiar with the model.
Therefore, the variables and terminologies of this model were not
operationally defined. Because of this flaw in reporting, it was difficult
to comprehend the study‘s meaning, and it was difficult to understand
the rationale for the statistical procedures used. Also the sample was
not adequately described. No information was given on the
Characteristics of the sample except that they were from a small
midwestern community.

Parents. Silverstein and Buck (1986) sampled 240 parents to
determine their preference for sex education topics for
preadolescents. These parents were randomly selected from a class
list of sixth graders in Buffalo, New York, and mailed a self-
administered questionnaire. One hundred forty six parents
responded. The questionnaire included 4-point Likert—type items
addressing 48 sex education topics arranged in five categories, —
personal growth. relationships, reproduction, physical growth, and
other. The respondent was asked to agree or disagree on whether
this topic should be included in a sexuality education course. Also
assessed were eight socio-demographic variables. The sample was
predominately white, female, young, married, Protestant and higher
SES.

Four topics were "unanimously" chosen by parents (100% of the
parents responding agreed that these topics should be included) - self
esteem, peer pressure, concern and responsibility for others, and
communication with parents. "Advantages of premarital sex" was the
topic with the lowest approval. Except for the 15 "sensitive topics" as

defined by the researchers, parental approval for the topics ranged

18
from 100% to 81.1%. Range of parental agreement to the combined
15 sensitive t0pics was from 80.6% for child molesting to a low 32.4%
for advantages of premarital sex. The majority of parents agreed with
the inclusion of the more sensitive topics except for advantages of
premarital sex and masturbation as morally wrong.

Cross tabulation of select socio-demographic variables with the
topics revealed that religion was systematically associated with
parental response. In a Protestant-Catholic comparison, Catholics
favored the inclusion of several topics including some opposed by the
Church - birth control, sterilization, and abortion. The sex of the child
did not have an apparent impact on parental response except for
vaginal discharge. Twenty five percent of the respondents with male
children disagreed with the inclusion of this topic as compared to only
five (8.2%) respondents with female children. Comments from open-
ended questions related to support of sex education focused on the
need to include responsibility for behaviors and moral issues regarding
sexual intimacy.

Silverstein and Buck (1986) concluded that this study lent
support to "the growing body of research that finds parents to be
supportive of sex education, and the majority of respondents agreed
on the inclusion of a broad range of topics including some that are
relatively sensitive" (p. 976).

This study was well done in general; however, it had limited
external validity because the sample was selected from only one school

district.

19
Summmz Assessment of Needs

There were six studies which assessed the needs of adolescents
and their parents relating to sexuality education. These studies
suggested that adolescents, their parents, teachers and administers
supported sexuality education and indicated a need for adolescents'
greater understanding of sexuality which included a broad range of
topics to be presented within a supportive environment and within a
moral and ethical context. The topics for sexuality education not only
included anatomy and physiology but such topics as marriage and
family, pregnancy, parenthood, peer pressure, communication with
parents, self-awareness, sexual intercourse and "its consequences and
context" (Rubenstein, et al., 1976, p. 495).

The results of these studies must be interpreted with great
caution because of their methodological and structural weaknesses and
limitations. Only one study was methodologically sound (Silverstein &
Buck, 1986), that is, adequately describing the study, randomly
selecting subjects, reporting reliability and validity of measurements,
and reporting appropriate statistical analyses. The other studies were
fraught with the following problems: inadequate description of sample
and procedures, subjects were not randomly selected or assigned, and
reliability and validity of measurements or statistical analyses were not
reported. Poor reporting procedures and methodology rendered
much of the findings on assessment of sexuality education for
adolescents and parents impotent.

Only 2 of the studies adequately described the sample well
enough to determine the race/ ethnic background of the subjects, and

these 2 samples were predominately white. It was apparent that none

 

 

 

 

 

20
the studies reviewed above exclusively focused or assessed the needs

of Black adolescents and their parents for sexuality education.

Evaluations of Sexuality Programs

The subsequent studies provided a review of evaluations of
various types of sexuality education programs, and were useful to
examine the content, the curriculum, and the variables related to
"successful" sexuality programs, the measures used for assessment,
and to note the suggestions and recommendations for subsequent
research. This section was divided into subsections which reflected
the type and nature of the program being evaluated such as school

based and non-school based programs.

School Based Programs
Thomas, Long, Whitten, Hamilton, Fraser, and Askins (1985)

examined the long-term retention of sex education knowledge of 9th
grade students in a rural South Carolina school. A sample of 359 9th
graders from a large public school (the experimental group) were
compared to 258 9th graders at a different school (the control group).
Seventy percent of the experimental group were white and 30% were
non-white. Sixty five percent of the control group were white and
35% were non-white. The study was pre- and posttests and
experimental and control groups design with 1 and 2 year follow-ups.
A 38 item measure was used as a pre- and posttest. The sample sizes
with all four tests were 155 for the experimental group and 98 for the
control. The experimental group received 12 - 2 hour units of

sexuality education. The instruction methods used were lectures,

21
written exercises, and multimedia presentations. Topics covered
were human growth and development, communication and decision—
making, male anatomy, female anatomy, teen pregnancy, pelvic exams,
personal hygiene, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases (STD's),
factors influencing reproductive health, labor and delivery, positive
parenting, pregnancy alternatives, and date and stranger rape.

The results indicated that knowledge scores for the students
completing the course increased significantly from pre- to posttest
and sustained high scores on the 1 and 2 year follow-ups. The
experimental group's posttest mean was significantly higher than the
control group's posttest mean. It was concluded that knowledge
significantly increased and that the experimental group achieved and
maintained scores greater than the control group for two years.

This study was generally methodologically sound and well
reported, however, the study lacked external validity because the
subjects were not randomly selected. Also students from two different
schools were compared. There was no indication of how these two
groups might have differred. If these groups were significantly
different before the pretest measurement, the findings would be
considerably unreliable.

Parcel & Luttman (1981) evaluated the effects of an 8 session
sex education course presented to 8th graders to determine the
effectiveness of instructions, to provide data to make decisions for
developing or modifying future instructional programs, and to assess
participants' understanding of and comfort with their current stage of
sexual development. A sample of 1 10 students (54% female, 46%
male; 42% white, 38% Black, and 18% Mexican-American) was

22
divided into 3 groups - nonattenders, irregular attenders and regular
attenders and measured on 4 tests - knowledge test, sex guilt scale.
sex concerns check list, and sex attitudes. The evaluation used a
quasi- experimental design using pre- and posttest measurements,
with no control group. The sex education program was offered as after
school elective. The methods of presentation were large group
presentations and small group discussions. There were 8 1-1/ 2 hour
sessions. The data were analyzed by ANOVA's.

The results revealed significant difference in mean knowledge
scores between attendance groups in both pre- and posttests. Regular
attenders had higher scores than irregulars or nonattenders. The
differences between irregular attenders and nonattenders were not
significant. The regular attenders and irregular attenders increased
significantly in knowledge. There was -a significant interaction
between time and attendance. For guilt, there was no significant
difference between groups either on pre- or posttest. For sex
concerns, there were no overall differences among groups but there
was an overall significant decrease in concern scores from pre- to
posttest. The increase of participants' understanding of the
information was independent of a reduction of guilt or change in level
of worry. Instructions had an impact on knowledge but not on sexual
guilt or sexual concerns.

This study lacked both internal and external validity. There was
no control group comparison, and there was no report of the reliability
or validity of the measure. Participation was voluntary with no random
selection of subjects. These methodological weaknesses severely

limited the interpretability and utility of this study.

23

Schinke, Blythe, and Gilchrist (1981) evaluated a sexuality
program in which 36 students were randomly assigned to 4
conditions, pretest and training and posttest; training and posttest,
pretest and posttest; and posttest only. Fourteen 50 minute training
sessions were given to students by 2 trainers. The topics covered
were reproductive biology, contraceptive methods, problem, solving,
and communication skills. The measures used included a knowledge
measure, problem solving scale, Means-end Thinking Test, and a
performance test which was a video recording of interactions with
opposite-sex, age-mate confederates. The data were analyzed using
t-tests.

The results indicated that people given pregnancy training
answered more correct questions on human reproductive and birth
control than control group. The problem solving, cognitive-behavioral
condition youths were more skilled with interpersonal problems than
control condition youths. For the performance test, cognitive behavior
groups did better in use of eye contact, saying no when responding to
social pressure and statements refusing to risk pregnancy, and
requesting that partners share responsibility for birth control and
cognate sexual decisions. The 6 month follow-up revealed that the
trained group had a better attitude towards family planning, showed
more habitual contraception use, had greater protection at last
intercourse, and were less reliant on inadequate birth control.

Though this study was methodologically sound, there were
limitations. The sample size was small. There were 4 groups and 36
subjects. This meant that 9 subjects were assigned to each group.

This size of the sample was not large enough to adequately determine

24

effects. Also the sample was not randomly selected. This limited the
external validity of the findings. Finally, the sample was not adequately
described. There was no indication of race/ ethnic background.

Parcel, Luttman, and Meyers (197 9) evaluated the effectiveness
of sexuality education course for 8th graders. Fifty five 8th grades, (32
pre- and posttests) 19 white, 8 Black, 2 Mexican-American, and 2
other attended 10 - 90 minute sessions of an sexuality education
course. The course was offered as an elective after school. It was
divided into 2 parts for each session. In the lsthalf hour factual
information was presented using audio-visual materials. The 2nd hour
was small group discussions relating to values clarification, and beliefs
and feelings concerning sexuality. The subjects were given pre- and
postrneasures using three instruments: a sexual knowledge
questionnaire, Reiss’s Premarital Sexual Permissiveness (PSP) scale,
and an adaptation of the Sexual Concerns Check List (Kirkendall &
Calderwood). The data were analyzed using frequencies and t—tests.

The results indicated that there was no overall significant
change in the number of concerns. Four items showed change - how
to tell if someone loves you, meaning of slang terms, and the effects of
masturbation. Boys were concerned about sex dreams. There was
little effect in reducing concerns relating to various topics, and some
items showed increase in concerns.

The most significant impact was an increase in students'
knowledge of sexual development, functioning, and behavior. There
was a significant change in attitudes towards premarital sexual

permissiveness but the change was limited to relationships involving

25
affection, love and commitment for marriage and not for relationships
in which affection was not involved.

Parcel, et al. (1979) recommended that sexuality education be
flexible enough to deal with individual differences. They also
suggested that subsequent evaluations provide feedback on the short-
ranged impact of sexuality education courses.

This study had several weaknesses. It lacked a control group,
participation in the program was voluntary, subjects were not
randomly selected, and the sample size was small. These factors
severely limited the interpretation and conclusions made by these
findings.

Philliber & Tatum (1982) designed a study to evaluate the
impact of sex education on high school students which compared
students from the same school who had taken with those who had not
taken sex education. The juniors, sophomores, and seniors of George
Mason Senior High School, a predominately white, middle class school
in Falls Church, Virginia, were surveyed by questionnaires to assess
the impact of a full year of instruction given in the 9th grade. The
course presented information on genetics, reproduction,
contraception, anatomy, physiologr, and general issues relating to
human sexuality. No pretest was given to any of the students.

Four dimensions were used to measure the impact of the sex
education program on students at George Mason High School. These
were the amount and kind of discussion about sexual topics with
parents and peers, sexual and contracepting behaviors, sexual and
contraceptive attitudes, and knowledge about sexuality, reproduction,

and contraception.

 

26

The results indicated that there were significant differences
between males and females on the discussion, attitudes, and
knowledge scales. There were no significant differences between
males and females on the behavior measure. For the discussion scale,
females were more likely to have recent conversation about sex with
parents and friends. For attitudes, there were sex differences on
every dimension of attitudes toward sex before marriage. Females
were significantly more likely than males to view such activity as bad,
common, stupid, dangerous, immature, embarrasing, and difficult. For
behaviors, there were no statistically significant differences. In the
projective situation, 51% of the males indicated they would have
intercourse, but 68% of the females said they would not. There were
significant differences between males and females on knowledge
measures. Females were more likely to achieve high scores.

Those who had sex education were significantly different from
those who had not had sex education in grades and class level. Those
not taking sex education were older and received better grades. A
hierarchical regression indicated that the sex of the student and grade
achievement had independent effects on discussion, sexual attitudes,
and sexual knowledge. Class level was significantly related to both
sexual intercourse and contraceptive use, with older students being
more likely to have had intercourse and more likely to use
contraception regularly.

It was concluded from this study that students who enrolled in
the sex education course were different initially from those who did
not enroll. Some of these differences suggested that the course was

attracting those most at risk of unplanned pregnancy since those not

27
taking the course were higher achievers in school who might be
expected to do better on exams of any kind, and might refrain from
early sexual activity because of their higher educational aspirations.
Students exposed to sex education knew more about sexuality,
contraception, and reproduction than do the students without it. In
designing sex education programs, more attention should be paid to
the gender identities and male-female norms of the students.

This study was severely flawed. There was no indication that the
samples were comparable, the sampling procedures were the same, or
that the subjects were from the same population. No attempt was
made to control for differences in sample characteristics before
assessment. In addition, there was no report on the reliability or
validity of the measurements used. Therefore, no valid conclusions
could be made from this study based on its lack of scientific
methodology.

Herz, Goldberg, and Reiss (1984) examined the impact of a
family life education program for 56 Black 7th and 8th grade school
students from two "economically disadvantaged" schools in Chicago. A
stratified random assignment procedure was used to designate
experimental and control group members. The students were
matched for grade level and gender and assigned to control and
experimental groups. The control group was randomly selected from
the 7th and 8th grade population of the 2nd school. All participants
were Black and ranged from age 1 1 to 15 years. Fifty five percent
were Baptist, while slightly over one fourth (27.3%) had no religious
affiliation. There were few pretest differences between experimental

and control groups on demographic characteristics.

28

The experimental group participated in The Family Life
Education Program. The major goals of this program were to reduce
the risk of pregnancy by helping young teens develop a positive self-
irnage and promoting responsible sexual and contraceptive decision-
making. Curriculum topics included the following: personality
development, physical and emotional changes during puberty,
nutrition and hygiene, male and female reproductive anatomy, the
processes of conception, contraception and pregnancy, familial,
platonic and romantic relationships, and developing educational and
career goals. Separate 7th and 8th grade FLE classes met once a week
for 40 minutes for a total of 15 sessions or 10 hours. Teaching
methods included informal lectures with question and answer sessions
and role playing.

The program's impact was assessed by a self-administered
survey designed to measure: general decision-making style, comfort
with and clarity of personal sexual values, social desirability response
bias, general knowledge about contraception and pregnancy,
awareness of various birth control methods, sexual and contraceptive
decision making, and future orientation. Repeated-measures analyses
were performed.

The results indicated that there was no significant difference on
the social desirability scale, a significant increase in knowledge scores
from pre- to posttest for the experimental group, and significant
differences between experimental males and females on the
knowledge measure. For sexual and contraceptive decision-making,

no significant differences were found between males and females.

29
However, grade level was a factor. The FLE program did not appear to
have an impact on preferences for different forms of birth control.

Half or more of the respondents liked the following content
areas: physical growth and development, emotional changes during
puberty, male and female reproductive systems, different kinds of
birth control methods, how pregnancy happens, and developing future
goals. The least popular topics included nutrition and hygiene.

Compared to the control group, program participants in the
present study displayed the following: improved knowledge about
contraception, reproductive physiologn and adolescent pregnancy
outcomes (especially among females), as well as increased awareness
of the existence of specific birth control methods.

Based on these findings, the authors suggested that curriculum
components be strengthened for older age groups, and revisions be
made in material relating to the time of greatest risk for pregnancy
during the monthly menstrual cycle.

Though this study was methodologically sound, there was one
limitation. The sample size was small. Effects would be difficult to
determine from a sample of this size, and therefore, valid and reliable
statistical conclusions could not be made.

Gumerman, Jacknik, & Sipko (1980) presented and evaluated a
sexuality education program which was designed to provide a basis for
wise decision-making with the understanding of reproduction, human
sexuality and contraception, and to promote responsibility and self-
assertiveness among students. Four 1 hour long units of sexuality
education were presented to a sophomore health class. These units

were decision-making, alternatives to and consequences of becoming

30
pregnant, birth control, and informal group discussions. A 65 item
pre- and posttest was given to this group to assess their knowledge,
and a survey was given to assess the students' interest in sexuality
t0pics.

The results indicated that there were significant differences
between pretest and posttest scores, and therefore, there were
significant gains in knowledge. The students rated the topic of
personality highest. Others topics rated highly were love, marriage,
friendship, and aspects of sexuality.

The authors made the following recommendations: sexuality
education be reinstated in the subsequent school year and begin at the
freshman level, the teaching be transferred to the faculty, sexuality
education be incorporated into family life course, and a committee Of
faculty, student body, school board, community and service agencies
should initiate plans for family life course. They concluded that a
week long course was effective in increasing knowledge.

Because this study lacked a control group for comparison, did
not report the reliability and validity of measures, and inadequately
described the sample, the conclusion made should be considered

highly unreliable.

Nonschool Based Programs
Powell & Jorgensen (1985) designed, implemented, and

evaluated a program for sexuality education to enhance the accurate
sexual information, self-esteem, and clarity of personal values within a
church setting where, as they suggested, sexual values could be

clarified with freedom to discuss sexuality in context of values and

3 1
moral decision-making. One hundred fifteen teens, ages 14-18 from
two upper middle class Protestant churches in Dallas, Texas suburbs,
were chosen to participant in this study. A pre- and posttest, control
and experimental group design was utilized for this study. Seventy
four teens were selected as the experimental group from one church,
and 41 teens were selected as the control from the second church.
Approximately 10 hours of information and discussion of sexual issues
was presented to the experimental group using male and female
resource persons and group leaders in large and small group settings.
Films, panel discussions, and question and answer periods were used
to present the material. The topics included: sex-role options and
sexual identity, sexual arousal, premarital sex, conception, abortion,
masturbation, and homosexuality. The measures used were a
knowledge test, Rosenberg's self esteem scale, and Kirby's scale for
clarity of personal values. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA's and
t-tests.

Results indicated that there was a significant difference for pre~
and posttest for sexual information and values. There was no
significant difference for self-esteem between the groups.

The authors made several recommendations. They
recommended continued scientific evaluations of church programs
using adequate, program specific measures, and evaluations which
provide follow-up assessments. They suggested that sexuality
education programs should be short and should utilize the expertise of
"outside" resources. They also recommended that parents and teens

be involved in the development of the program.

32
This study had limitations. It lacked external validity because
the subjects were not randomly selected from the population or
randomly assigned to groups. Therefore, the results would not be
generalizable beyond the population. Also the sample was inadequately

described. No information was given on race/ ethnic background.

Summag: Evaluation of Sexuality Education Programs

These studies which evaluated sexuality programs within the
schools and nonschool organizations revealed that sexuality education
was being presented to adolescents ranging in age from 11 to 18, with
most sexuality courses being directed to 8th and 9th graders. The
duration of the programs and length of each class ranged from a few
sessions over a few weeks to many sessions over one year's period.
Most programs presented between 10 to 24 hours of instruction and
discusssion. A variety and wide range of topics were included in the
programs including human growth and development, communication,
decision-making, male and female anatomy, emotional and physical
changes during puberty, teen pregnancy, personal hygiene, nutrition,
birth control, STD's, parenting, pregnancy alternatives, values
clarification, beliefs and feelings concerning sexuality, familial,
platonic and romantic relationship, problem-solving, and rape. The
material was presented in large group lectures and small group
discussions using various multimedia tools.

'IWo studies assessed adolescents' concerns about sexuality and
determined that adolescents were concerned about being able to tell if
someone loved them, how far to go with sex, and when it is right to

have sex. Also they were concerned about the effects of masturbation

33
and sex dreams. Most of the concerns were regarding sexual
development and behaviors.

Because of the lack of scientific methodology and inadequate
samples, reliable interpretations or conclusions could not be made
from the studies nor could generalizations be made to the adolescent
population as a whole. Also though some of the studies did include
Black adolescents within their samples, the majority of the samples
were non-Black. One study exclusively focused on Black adolescents,
yet none of the studies focused on Black adolescents within the Black
church. Therefore, given the findings of the studies reviewed above,
continual assessment of the needs and concerns for each sample of
adolescents under observation must be made using scientific

methodology to adequately assess needs and make valid conclusions.

Research Questions

The literature suggested that the needs of adolescents and their
parents as they related to sexuality be incorporated into the planning
and the implementation of a sexuality program. It also suggested that
a few programs had incorporated a large range of topics and issues
which were relevant to the needs of adolescents. This body of
literature strongly implied that continual asssessment of the needs of
adolescents and their parents be done for each group of adolescents
under observation. This must occur for several reasons. There must
be continual assessment, first, because the nature of issues of sexuality
was determined often by values, morals and ethics, and less by
absolute fact, and these issues were often dependent upon the

demographics of a given population; because there was no research

34
which had substantial internal and external validity to allow
generalization beyond that specific group under study, and because
evaluations of sexuality education programs were failing to find
significant affects in sexual behaviors and attitudes. The question still
remained of how could a sexuality education significantly affect
behavior and attitudes. Also the literature provided no insight to the
needs of adolescents within the Black church for sexuality education.
It was obviously inappropriate to generalize findings of non-Black
adolescent samples to the Black adolescent population because of the
the lack of external validity from prior studies and, most importantly,
because of the vast cultural differences which existed. According to
Scott & McKenry (197 7), "culture plays a significant role in the
process of human development...," and "it is important that family life
educators have some understanding of adolescent experiences as they
exist in Black communities throughout America" (p. 47). The Black
church was an integral part of Black culture and provided a rich
cultural and religious based setting in which to assess the needs of
Black adolescents.

Therefore, the following questions could be asked for youth and
parents within the Black church to assess their needs and concerns
regarding sexuality education:

What topics and issues did adolescents want more information
about?

What topics and issues did parents want their adolescents to
have more information about?

Were there differences between male and female preferences for

potential sexuality education topics?

35

Were there differences between adolescents' and their parents'
preferences for topics and issues?

What level of knowledge of sexuality did adolescents currently
have?

Were there differences between the knowledge level of
males and females?

What were the sexual concerns for adolescents?

Were there differences in sexual concerns for males and
females?

What was the relationship between the adolescents amount of
sexual knowledge and their sexual concerns?

Had adolescents ever had prior sexuality education?

What was the relationship between adolescents having taken a
sexuality education course and their current knowledge regarding
sexuality?

What was the first source of sexuality information for
adolescents?

Were there differences between males and females for the first
source of sexuality information?

What was the preferred source of information for adolescents?

Were there differences in preferred sources of sexuality
informaton for males and females?

What were adolescents' current sources of sexuality information
according to the parents?

Were there differences between the adolescents' current
sources of information as reported by adolescents and current source

as reported by parents?

36

What were parents' preferred sources of sexuality information
for adolescents?

Were there differences between adolescents' preferred sources
for sexuality information and parents' preferred sources of information
for adolescents?

How often did adolescents discuss sexuality with parents?

How often would adolescents like to discuss sexuality with
parents?

How comfortable did adolescents feel when discussing sexuality
with parents?

How often did parents discuss sexuality with adolescents?

How often would parents like to discuss sexuality with
adolescents?

How comfortable did parents feel discussing sexuality with
adolescents?

How much did parents know about sexuality according to
adolescents?

How much did parents feel they know about sexuality?

How much sexuality education had adolescents had in school?

Did parents want to be the primary educators for sexuality?

Did parents feel they had enough knowledge to be primary
educators for sexuality?

Did parents want help to become primary educators for
sexuality?

Were parents willing to attend classes to learn how to become

primary educators for sexuality education?

 

37
What was the appropriate age to begin sexuality education
according to adolescents?
What was the appropriate age to begin sexuality according to the
parents?
Were there differences between appropriate ages to begin
sexuality education as stated by adolescents and as stated by the

parents?

CHAPTER 2

Methodology

Sam le

A sample of 57 youths, ages 9 ~17, and their parents (N: 48) was
obtained from 3 Pentecostal Churches, the Pentecostal Church of
Christ in Cleveland, Ohio, New Jerusalem Church in Lansing,
Michigan, and King's Chapel Assembly in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The
three churches were predominately African American (Black), and had
a diverse membership in age, SES, and educational background. The
Pentecostal Church of Christ had a membership of approximately
1,000, New Jerusalem's had apprOximately 200, and King's Chapel
Assembly had approximately 60.

The pastor of each church was contacted by phone or in person
and given information concerning the study. The researcher asked for
permission to conduct the study within their church. Each pastor
agreed.

Once permission was obtained, a list of adolescents and their
parents was compiled from each church. For the Pentecostal Church
of Christ, a list of all adolescents between the ages of 1 1 - 16 was
compiled by surveying the adolescents in attendance of Sunday
morning services over a period of several weeks. For New Jerusalem
Church, a list of adolescents was compiled from the church
membership roster. The names of families who had children between
the ages of 1 1 - 16 were selected from the roster. Adolescents within

these families were identified by the church's youth director. For

38

39
King's Chapel Assembly, the pastor sent a list of adolescents and their
parents to the researcher of all the families within the church who
had children between 1 1 - 16 years of age.

Once the lists were received, the parents were notified by letter
introducing the study and asking their permission for themselves and
their adolescents to participate in the study.

Questionnaires were sent to 117 adolescents within the 3
churches; 64 adolescents from the Pentecostal Church of Christ (PCC);
42 adolescents from New Jerusalem Church (NJ C); and 11
adolescents from King's Chapel Assembly (KCA). There was a total
response rate for adolescents of 51%; 60 questionnaires were
returned (50% (n=32) were received from adolescents of the PCC;
48% (n=20) from NJC; and 73% (n=8) from KCA).

Questionnaires were sent to 87 parents from the 3 churches; 49
to parents from the Pentecostal Church of Christ (PCC); 27 to parents
from New Jerusalem Church (NJC); and 11 to parents from King's
Chapel Assembly (KCA). The total response rate for parents was 55%;
48 questionnaires were returned (51% (n=24) from PCC; 56% (n=15)
from NJC; and 82% (n=9) from KCA).

Fifty seven youths and 48 parents were included in this analysis.
The sample had the following socio-demographic characteristics. For
the youths, 96% were African American (Black). Fifty eight percent
(n=33) of the youths were females and 42% (n=24) were males. Their
ages ranged from 9 to 17 years old, with a mean, median, and mode of
13 years old. Their grade level in school ranged from 6th grade to
12th grade. The mean grade level was 9th grade. Most of the subjects
were in the 7th grade (32%). An overwhelming majority of the

 

40
subjects (90%) were members of their respective churches, and 51%
(n=29) were members for more than 5 years, while 46% were
members for less than 5, and 4% (n=2) were not members at all.

For the parents, 96% (n: 46) were African American (Black).
Ninety percent (n=43) were females and 10% (n=5) were males. In
age, the parents ranged from 30 to 57 years old. The average age was
39 years old. Their educational background ranged from 8th grade or
less to having obtained a graduate degree. Most of the parents had
some college, 46% (n=22), while 13% (n=6) obtained a undergraduate
degree, 13% (n=6) obtained a graduate degree, 17% (n=8) graduated
from high school, 10% (n=5) had some high school education, and 2%
(n=1) had an eigth grade education or less. For marital status, most
were currently married, 56% (n=27), while 33% (n=16) were
separated or divorced, 4% (n=2) were widowed, and 6% (n=3) were
never married. For family income, most of the families had an income
of more than $30,000 a year or 42% (n=20), while 17% (n=8) had an
income between $20,000 and $30,000, 13% (n=6) had an income
between $10,000 and $20,000, and 28% (n=14) had an income of less
than $10,000. The number of children the parents had ranged from 1
to 13, with most, 40% (n=19) having 2, 25% (n=12) had 3, 15% (n=7)
had 4, 10% (n=5) had 1, and 8% (n=4) had 5, and 2% (n=1) had 13
children. The number of children they had between the ages of 1 1
and 16 ranged from 1 to 5 with 56% (n=27) having 1, 17% (n=17)
had 2, 6% (n=3) had 3, and 2% (n=1) had 5. The majority of parents
were members of their respective churches, 94% (n=45), and most

had been attending for more than 10 years.

4 1
Design
This research was a survey of the needs of adolescents and their

parents for issues regarding sexuality.

Procedure

After the list was obtained from the churches, a letter was sent
to the parents explaining the study and requesting their and their
children's participation. One week after the preletter was sent,
questionnaires, accompanied by a cover letter, were sent. A separate
questionnaire was sentlto the mother of each family and to each
adolescent in that household between the ages of 11 - 16. (There
were 2 questionnaires, one for the adolescents and one for the
parents.) If there was no mother in the household or the mother was
not able to complete the questionnaire, the father was sent a
questionnaire. Parents and adolescents were asked to complete the
questionnaire independently and to the best of their ability. They
were informed that the information on the questionnaire would be
both confidential and anonymous, and their participation would be
voluntary. They were instructed to return the completed
questionnaire to the researcher as soon as possible. An addressed and
stamped envelope was enclosed within the parents envelope. They
were asked to be responsible to return of theirs and their children's
questionnaire. Confidentiality and anonymity were preserved by
asking the parent and the youth to seal their questionnaires within an
envelope immediately after completing it. The youths were then

asked to give their sealed envelope to their parents so the parents

42
could return it to the researcher. The parents were asked not to look
at the children's questionnaire or to help them in any way.

A reminder letter with a second questionnaire was sent to each
subject within two weeks after the questionnaires were sent
reminding the subjects to return the questionnaires and also thanking
those who had returned them. A final reminder post card was sent
to all of the subjects within 4 weeks after the first questionnaires were
sent.

Research assistants assisted the researcher with sending out the
letters, questionnaires and post cards, and also helped to collect,
code, and analyze the data.

Once received, each questionnaire was given an identification
number which identified the church from which the questionnaires
were sent, whether the questionnaires were from a parent or
adolescent, and one which matched parents with children.

Once the questionnaires were received, they were coded and
then were entered into the computer for analysis using SPSSx by the

reseacher and the research assistants.

Instruments

The adolescents' questionnaire consisted of 110 items.
Included were general information items and three scales: sexuality
topics, sexual knowledge, and sexual worry scales. The topics scale
was developed by Silverstein & Buck (1986) and was used to survey
parents of sixth graders in a high socioeconomic suburb of Buffalo,
New York. It was a 4 point, Likert-type scale of 45 possible topics for

sex education where the respondent would indicate whether they

43
agreed or disagreed (ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree)
to including a topic in a sexuality education course. The reliability of
the original scale was measured by Cronbach's alpha with a coefficient
of .95.

The measure was modified for use in this study. Topics which
were suggested in the literature as being important to adolescents
were included such as "sex in the media," while other items were
condensed into categories. For example, "growth spurts" and
"changing voice" were condensed into the topic "physical changes
during adolescence." Also the Likert-type scale categories were
changed. Instead of asking the respondents to agree or disagree, the
reseacher asked the respondents to indicate how much more
information would they like to attain about each topic. The categories

were "a great deal more, much more," "a little more," or "none at all."
The reliability of this scale was measured by Cronbach's alpha and the
alpha coefficent was .96 (see Table 1).

The second scale was a knowledge test developed by Parcel,
Luttman, and Meyers (1979) and was used to assess the knowledge of
sexuality obtained by eigth grade students attending a sex education
course. This questionnaire evaluated the respondents' knowledge
about pregnancy, intercourse, and sexual function, response and
behavior. The students were asked to respond "true," "false" or "I dont
know" to each of the items. Examples of the items on this measures
were: "The clitoris is a part of the females sex organs;" "Attitudes and

fear during pregnancy can result in damage to the baby;" "Ejaculation

is the active release of sperm from the penis..." The reliability was

44

Table 1

Alphflnd Corrected Item-Total Correlations for Adolescents' Topics Scale

 

 

Alpha = .96
Topics Item-Total
Correlations

Love 63
Achieving independence .43
Self esteem 59
Decision-making skills .57
Femininity .47
Masculinity .62
Dealing with peer pressure .70
Emotional needs during adolescence .57
Defining sexuality .63
Religious values .54
Responsibility and concern for others .57
Communication with parents .60
Becoming comfortable with the opposite sex .70
Dating .62
Premarital sex .73
Sexual attraction .74
Value and role of the family .49
Romantic relationships .63
Understanding yourself .56
Divorce .58
Homosexuality 44
Sex in the media 55
The male body .66
The female body 64
Sexual intercourse 70

45

Table 1 (Cont'd)

 

 

Topics Item-Total
Correlations
Birth process .75
Sterilization .60
Abortion .79
Sex role stereotyping .58
Avoiding premarital sex .68
Teen pregnancy .80
Birth control .72
Preparing for marriage .65
Preparing for parenting .59
Physical changes during adolescence .72
Menstruation .68
Vaginal discharge .61
Erection .63
Ejaculation of sperm .67
Wet dreams .73
Masturbation .53
Pornography .43
Sexually transmitted diseases .65
Rape .58
Child molesting .51

46

determined by the Kuder-Richardson 20 formula for internal
consistency and was .72.

This scale also was modified for this study. TWO of the original
20 items were deleted. These were items that were thought might be
offensive to church members and pastors. The items deleted were
"Masturbation can sometimes be harmful," and "Sex play between two
boys or two girls should be regarded as an illness." Reliability was
assessed by Cronbach's alpha and the coefficient was .79 (see Table 2).

The third scale was a modified version of Kirdendall and
Calderwood's (1970) Sexual Concerns Check List. This had been
modified and used by Parcel and Luttmann (1981) to assess the
effectiveness of a sexuality program for eigth graders. This measure
assessed the concerns that adolescents might have regarding sexuality.
It had 15 items with 3 subgroups, sexual behaviors, sexual adequacy.
and decision making, and had a reliability alpha coefficient of .77.
Examples of the items on this measure were: "I worry that my sex
organs are too large;" "I worry about not being as feminine as other
girls;" "I worry that I will not be sexually attractive to boys (girls)...."

This measure was modified for this study as well. Items which
made a double statement in one question were changed. For example,
the statement "I worry about not being as feminine as other girls or
not as masculine as other boys" was changed to 2 items - "I worry
about not being as feminine as other girls," and "I worry about not
being as masculine as other boys." There were 17 items for this scale
and the reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and the coefficient

was .78 (see Table 3).

47

Table 2

Alpha and Corrected Item-Total Correlations for Knowledge Scale
Alpha: .84 (14 Items)‘

 

 

Knowledge Item Item-Total
Correlations
1. The clitoris is a part of the female sex organs. .42
2. Sperm (male seeds) are produced in the testicles (male sex glands). .46
3. Ejaculation is the active release of sperm from penis. .49
4. Ova (eggs) are produced in the ovaries. .41
5. The uterus is a female organ for having intercourse. .40
6. A "wet dream" is normal release of fluid from the penis during sleep. .42
7. You can tell if someone has had sexual intercourse because he
or she will look different. .60
Menstruation flow leaves the body from the vagina. .56
9. Menstruation is a regular discharge of blood and lining of the uterus. .59
10. An erection means that a boy's penis becomes larger and gets stiff. .52
1 1. Ova (eggs) can join up with sperm after sexual intercourse
to form a baby. .63
12. Sexual intercourse is when a male puts his penis in a female's vagina. .47
13. Boys have a monthly period something like the girls' period. .38

14. A girl can get pregnant if she kisses a boy's penis or if a boy kisses her
vagina. .28

‘Four items with non-significant item-total correlations ( r _<_ .25) were deleted from
alpha analysis. These items were correlated with the above scale and the results were
the following:

1. Attitudes and fear during pregnancy can result in damage to the baby. .19
2. A baby comes out of its mother's body through the vagina. .13
3. Boys develop later than girls. . .13
4.

There are ways of having intercourse without becoming pregnant. .25

48

Also included in the measure was an assessment of the
degree or amount of parent-child discussion about sexuality, the
amount of sexuality education received, how often and how long
sexuality education should be held, the preferred class structure for
sexuality education classes, the first, current, and, preferred sources
of sexual information, parents' knowledge about sexuality as perceived
by adolescents, and adolescents belief about the appropriate age to
begin sexuality education. Six demographic variables also were
included.

The parents' questionnaire was similar to the youths' question—
naire. It was a 68 item measure which included the topics scale as
described above and questions relating to parent—child discussion
about sexuality, the current and preferred sources of information for
their adolescents, the importance of sexuality education, parents'
perceived knowledge about sexuality, parents desire for more
information to become primary source of sexuality information for
their adolescents, how often and how long sexuality education should
be held, and appropriate ages to begin sexuality education. Ten
demographic items also were included. The reliability for the topics

scale was measured by Cronbach's alpha and was .96 (see Table 4).

49

Table 3

Alpha and Corrected Item-Total Correlations for Worry Scale

 

Alpha = .82 (12 Items)‘

 

 

Item Item-Total
Correlations
1. I worry about knowing when it is right to have sex with
another person. .36
2. I worry about having thoughts about sex. .60
3. I worry about how to stop from going too far. .35
4. I worry about how far to go with sex. .33
5. I worry about having a desire to look at sexually exciting pictures. .51
6. I worry about getting pregnant. .41
7. I worry about getting someone pregnant. .60
8. I worry about not being as masculine as other boys. .69
9. I worry about wanting to see what other boys look like naked. .44
10. I worry about not being as feminine as other girls. .36
1 1. I worry that my sex organs are too small. .51
12. I worry about wanting to see what other girls look like naked. .53

*Five items with non-significant inter-item correlations ( r <_.25) were deleted from

alpha analysis. These items were correlated (using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient)

with the above scale score and the results were the following:

I worry that my sex organs are too large.

I worry about the effects of masturbation.

I worry whether petting is right or wrong.

I worry about wanting to see what other girls look like naked.

919.0330!"

I worry about getting someone pregnant.

.05
.22
.14

.08

50

Table 4

Alpha and Corrected Item-Total Correlations for Parents' Topics Scale
Alpha = .96

 

 

Topics Item-Total

Correlations
Love .48
Achieving independence .27
Self esteem .28
Decision-making skills 37
Femininity 66
Masculinity .48
Dealing with peer pressure 53
Emotional needs during adolescence .52
Defining sexuality .62
Religious values .39
Responsibility and concern for others .39
Communication with parents .57
Becoming comfortable with the opposite sex .65
Dating

64
Premarital sex 52
Sexual attraction .60
Value and role of the family 60

72

Romantic relationships

Understanding yourself .79
Divorce .61
Homosexuality .58
Sex in the media 51
The male body 64
The female body .80
Sexual intercourse 67

51

Table 4 (Cont'd)

 

 

Topics Item-Total
Correlations
Birth Process .79
Sterilization .70
Abortion .69
Sex role stereotyping .74
Avoiding premarital sex .60
Teen pregnancy .57
Birth control .69
Preparing for marriage .74
Preparing for parenting 74
Physical changes during adolescence 64
Menstruation .60
Vaginal discharge 55
Erection .55
Ejaculation of sperm .58
Wet dreams .53
Masturbation .52
Pornography .58
Sexually transmitted diseases 59
Rape .60
Child molesting 60

CHAPTER 3

Results

The results were reported in 8 sections. These section were
the following: topics for sexuality education for adolescents and
parents, knowledge and worry scores for adolescents, sources of
adolescent sexuality information according to adolescents and parents,
parent- adolescent discussion about sexuality, parental knowledge
about sexuality, amount of sexuality education taken by adolescents,
appropriate age, format and time frame for sexuality education, and

parents as primary source of sexuality education.

Topics for Sexuality Education: Adolescents and Parents
Of the 45 items on the topics scale, only 19 items were

endorsed by a majority of adolescents (50% to 65%) (see Table 5).
These items included the following (in rank order): "achieving

H H H H H H

independence, preparing for marriage, premarital sex, sexual

attraction," "child molesting," "decision-making skills," "sexually

transmitted diseases, preparing for parenting, avoiding premarital

H H H II N H

sex, religious values," "rape," "dating, self esteem, understanding
yourself," "communication with parents," "becoming comfortable with
the opposite sex," "teen pregnancy," "dealing with peer pressure," and
"romantic relationships" (see Table 5). Adolescents had the least
interest in the following 7 items which ranged in percentages from
28% to 33%. These were: "defining sexuality," "divorce," "male body,"

"wet dreams," "erection," "ejaculation of sperm," and "pornography."

52

53

A t-test examining the overall female-male differences on the
topics scale revealed no significant difference (t=1.25, p < .218). A
chi-square analysis revealed that only 2 items had significant
differences when females and males were compared, "premarital sex"
and "romantic relationships" (see Table 5)1. Females wanted
significantly more information on both topics.

Parents, responding to the same topics scales, had strikingly
different responses than adolescents. Of the 45 items, 39 topics were
endorsed by a majority of parents as those they wanted their children
to have more information on (see Table 5). There were 15 items which
received more than 80% of parental support. These items were (in
rank order): "self esteem," "religious values," "dealing with peer
pressure," "decision-making skills," "understanding yourself," "sexually

transmitted disease," "avoiding premarital sex," "physical changes

during adolescence, achieving independence, emotional needs

H H H H H H

during adolescence, preparing for marriage, rape, value and role
of the family," "definining sexuality," and "teen pregnancy" (see Table
5). There were only 4 items which received 50% or less of parental

support. They were "sterilization, menstruation," "abortion," and "wet
dreams."

When parents' responses were compared to youths' responses on
topics, a t-test on the overall scale revealed a significant difference
between parents and youths (t= 4.46, p < .0001). A McNemar chi-
square analysis revealed that there were significant differences on 32

items (see Table 5)2. Parents wanted their children to have much

54

Table 5

Perpentgges, gender Differences, Youth and Parents Differences for Sexuality Tppics

 

 

YOUTHS TOTAL / SIGNIFICANCE
Topics Female 1433 Youths Parents
Total Scale
t= 1.25 (M/ F) Mean: 65.68
t= 4.46"" (P/Y) S. D. = 12.53
Achieving independence 72.7 54.2 64.9 85.4"
Preparing for marriage 63.6 37.5 63.2 83.3
Premarital sex 75.8 41.7“ 61.4 79.2
Sexual attraction 72.7 45.8 61.4 62.9
Child molesting 60.6 62.5 61.4 79.2
Decision-making skills 60.6 58.3 59.6 87.6“
Sexually transmitted diseases 66.7 50.0 59.6 85.5“
Preparing for parenting 60.6 54.2 57.9 75.0
Avoiding premarital sex 51.5 66.7 57.9 85.4"
Religious values 60.6 54.2 57.9 91.7‘”
Dating 63.6 45.8 56.1 77.1
Self esteem 66.7 41.7 56.1 93.7"“
Rape 66.7 41.7 56.1 81.3“
Understanding yourself 60.6 50.0 56.1 87.5“”
Communication with parents 66.7 37 .5 54.4 75.0‘
Becoming comfortable with
the opposite sex 54.4 54.2 54.4 66.7
Teen pregnancy 63.6 37 .5 52.6 81.2"'
Dealing with peer pressure 57.6 45.8 52.6 89.6""
Romantic relationships 63.6 33.3“ 50.9 75.0"'

_Npte. Female-male differences were measured by chi-square. Parent-youth differences

were measured by NcNemar chi-square.

‘p<.05 “p<.01 “‘p< .001

5 5
Table 5 (Cont'd)

 

 

YOUTHS TOTAL / SIGNIFICANCE

Topics Female M_a_l_e_ Youths Parents
Abortion 48.5 45.8 47.4 50.1
Sex Role stereotyping 42.4 54.2 47.4 66.6“
Vaginal discharge 48.5 45.8 47.4 58.4
Value and role of the family 45.5 50.0 47.4 81.3"“
Responsibility and concern for others 51.1 37.5 45.6 77.1”
Physical changes during adolescence 45.5 37 .5 42. 1 85.4“”
Emotional needs during adolescence 39.4 45.8 42.1 83.3“”
Love 48.5 33.3 42.1 72.9”"
Sexual intercourse 51.5 25.0 40.4 68.8“
Sterilization 39.4 41.7 40.4 47.9
Femininity 39.4 41.7 40.4 66.7“"
Birth control 45.5 29.2 38.6 64.6"
Masculinity 30.3 45.8 36.8 62.5"
Birth process 39.4 41.7 35.1 64.6"
Menstruation 27.3 41.7 33.3 47.9
Sex in the media 39.4 25.0 33.3 66.7“"
Defining sexuality 27.3 41.7 33.3 81.2“
Divorce 27.3 37 .5 31.6 77.1”“
The male body 33.3 29.2 31.6 60.4”"
Masturbation 36.4 20.8 31.6 60.4““
Erection 36.4 20.8 29.8 52.1
Ejaculation of sperm 30.3 29.2 29.8 52.1“
Pornography 21.2 37.5 28.1 52.1
Wet dreams 30.3 20.8 26.3 47.9“
Homosexuality 36.4 20.8 25.8 64.6”

Note. Female-male differences were measured by chi-square statistic. Parent-youth

differences were measured by NcNemar chi-square statistic.

‘p<.05 “p<.01 “"p<.(X)1

56
more information on those topics than children wanted to have for
themselves. When parents' highest 19 choices were compared to
youths' highest 19 choices for topics, there were 13 items common to

both though each ranked differently. These were "achieving

independence, preparing for marriage, premarital sex," "child
molesting," "decision- making skills," "sexually transmitted diseases,"
"avoiding premarital sex," "religious values," "dating," "self-esteem,"
"rape," "understanding self," and "dealing with peer pressure." A
McNemar chi—square analysis revealed that there were significant
differences between parents and youths on nine of these 13 items,
again, with parents wanting their children to have more information on
these topics than their children wanted. These items were "achieving

independence," "decision-making skills, sexually transmitted

diseases, avoiding premarital sex," "religious values, self-esteem,"
"rape," "understanding yourself," and "dealing with peer pressure."

In summary, adolescents appeared to be only marginally
interested in obtaining more information about sexuality. Only 19
topics were endorsed by a slight majority (from 50 to 65%) of
adolescents. Adolescents, however, were interested in knowing more
about such issues as interpersonal relationships, implications and
consequences of sexual behavior, personal growth and development,
familial preparation, and even social problem issues such as child
molesting and rape. There was no significant difference between
gender on the topics scale.

Parents, on the other hand, were overwhelmingly interested in
having their children obtain more information in all areas of sexuality.

A majority of parents indicated interest in 41 of 45 topics presented,

57
with 80% and more wanting their children to have more information
on 15 topics. There was a significant difference between adolescents'

and parents' topics score.

Knowledge and Worm Scores for Adolescents

For the knowledge scale, the number of correct responses for
each subject ranged from 3 to 18 or from 17% to 100% on the 18 item
scale. Eight subjects had a score between 0 and 50%, 15 subjects had
a score of 51% to 75%, and 34 scored between 76 to 100%. Two
subjects had a score of 100%. Eighty six percent of the subjects
answered 51 to 100% of the items correctly. The mean individual
score was 13.4 and the mode was 16.

Overall, the range of total respondents scores on each item were
from 24.6% to 96.5% (see Table 6). Sixteen items were answered
correctly by a majority of adolescents. The items with the highest
overall correct responses were "A baby comes out of its mother's body
through the vagina," "Sexual intercourse is when a male puts his penis
in a female's vagina," and "A girl can get pregnant if she kisses a boy's
penis or if a boy kisses her vagina." For each of these items greater
than 90% of the respondents answered them correctly. Only two
items were answered incorrectly by less than 50% of the respondents,
and the item answered incorrectly most often was "Attitudes and fear
during pregnancy can result in damage to the baby. " Only 24.6% of the
respondents answered this question correctly.

A t-test examined gender differences for the total score and no
significant difference was found (t= .40, p < .69). A chi-square analysis

revealed that there was only one item with significant difference when

58
males and females were compared (see Table 6 )3. For the item
"Menstruation flow leaves the body from the vagina," significantly more
females answered it correctly.

For the worry scale, a majority of adolescents were concerned
about only 1 item. Sixty percent of the respondents indicated that they
worry about how to tell whether someone really loves them. The other
16 items received less than 50% indicating concern (see Table 7).
However, 3 other items of most concern were "I worry about knowing
when it is right to have sex with another person," "I worry about
whether I will know how to have intercourse," and "I worry about how
to stop from going too far." The item that least concerned the
respondent was "I worry about wanting to see what other girls look like
naked." Only 14% (n=8) indicated this concern.

A t-test examined gender differences and no significant
difference was found (t=1.57, p < .123). A chi-square analysis was used
to compare gender differences for each item on the worry scale (see
Table 7)4. Six items revealed significant differences. Males worried
more about their sex organs being too large, not being as masculine as
other boys, wanting to see what other girls look like naked, and getting
someone pregnant. Females worried more about not being as feminine

as other girls and about getting pregnant.

59

 

 

Table 6

n f um R n r Difi' r n
9n Knpwleggg gale

Ltal Female Male 2(_2

Items
Total Scale t=.21, p < . 83
Mean = 13.39 SD. = 3.59
1. A baby comes out of its mother's

body through the vagina. %.5 93.9 100.0 .24
2. Sexual intercourse is when a male

puts his penis in a female's vagina. 93.0 90.9 95.8 .03
3. A girl can get pregnant if she kisses

a boy's penis or if a boy kisses her vagina. 91.2 93.9 87.5 .14
4. A "wet dream" is normal release of

fluid from the penis during sleep. 87.7 87.9 87.5 .00
5. Ova (eggs) can join up with sperm

after sexual intercourse to form a baby. 84.2 84.8 83.3 .00
6. Sperm (male seeds) are produced in

the testicles (male sex glands). 82.5 81.8 83.3 .00
7. Ova (eggs) are produced in the ovaries. 82.5 84.8 79.2 .04

Boys have a monthly period

something like the girls' period. 80.7 81.8 79.2 .00
9. An erection means that a boy's

penis becomes larger and gets stiff. 77.2 72.7 83.3 .38
10. Ejaculation is the active release of

sperm from penis. 77.2 69.7 87.5 1.59
1 1. Boys usually develop later than girls. 77.2 72.7 83.3 .39
12. You can tell if someone has had

sexual intercourse because he or she

will look different. 77.2 75.8 79.2 .00

Table

6 (Cont'd)

 

 

m Female _Male_ L2

Items
13. Menstruation is a regular discharge

of blood and lining of the uterus. 70.2 75.8 62.5 .62
14. There are ways of having intercourse

without becoming pregnant. 70.2 63.6 79.2 .94
15. Menstruation flow leaves the body

from the vagina. 68.4 81.8 50.0 5.12"
16. The clitoris is a part of the female

sex organs. 50.9 51.5 50.0 .00
17. The uterus is a female organ for having

intercourse. 47.4 51.5 41.7 .22
18. Attitudes and fear during pregnancy

can result in damage to the baby. 24.6 30.3 16.7 .75

‘p<.05 “p<.01 “‘p< .001

61

Table 7

Percentages and Gender Differences on Wom Scale

 

 

12m Lei-lax _Ma_1e_ 2;}
Items
Total Score t=1.57, p< .12
Mean = 7.28 SD. = 5.35

1. I worry about how I can tell whether

someone really loves me. 59.6 63.6 54.2 .20
2. I worry about knowing when it is

right to have sex with another person. 49.1 54.5 41.7 .48
3. I worry about whether I will know

how to have intercourse. 48.6 48.5 25.0 2.32

I worry about having thoughts about sex. 47.3 45.5 50.0 .005
5. I worry about how to stop from

going too far. 45.6 48.5 41.7 .06

I worry about how far to go with sex. 38.6 45.5 29.2 .94
7. I worry about having a desire to

look at sexually exciting pictures. 35.1 30.3 41.7 .37
8. I worry whether petting is right or wrong. 28.1 27.3 29.2 .0
9. Iworry about getting pregnant. 28.1 42.4 8.3 6.04"
10. I worry that my sex organs are too small 26.3 30.3 20.0 .24
1 1. I wony about getting someone pregnant. 24.5 9.1 45.8 8.24“
12. I worry about not being as masculine as

other boys. 24.5 12.1 41.7 5.05“
13. I worry about wanting to see what

other boys look like naked. 22.8 30.3 12.5 1.59
14. I worry about not being as feminine

as other girls. 21.0 36.4 0 8.97“
15. I worry about the effects of masturbation. 17.5 18.2 16.7 .0
16. I worry that my sex organs are too large. 15.8 6.1 29.2 3.98“
17. I worry about wanting to see what other girls

look like naked. 14.1 3.0 29.2 585*

‘p<.05 “p<.01 “*p<.001

62

The correlation between adolescents' knowledge score and
worry score was measured by Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. There
was no significant correlation between these measures (r= .02).

In summary, most of the adolescents surveyed had knowledge of
basic sexual reproduction as indicated by their score on the knowledge
scale, and there were no significant differences between males and
females. Also adolescents were not highly concerned about the issues
presented in the worry scale. There was only one concern in which
greater than half of the respondents indicated concern. They were
most concerned about being able to tell if someone really loved them.
There was no significant difference found between genders on the total

worry scale score.

Sources of Adolescent Sexualng Information According to Adolescents

and Parents

Adolescents reported that mother and school were their first
source of sexuality information, indicating 39% (n=22) and 37%
(n=21) respectively. Friends were next with 32% (n=18). Brothers
and sisters, church, and father were the sources in which the least
amount of adolescents received their first sexuality information. The
percentages for these sources were 2% (n=2), 5% (n=3), and 7%
(n=4) respectively (see Table 8).

A chi-square analysis compared gender differences. Only one
source revealed a significant difference: mother (X 2 =9.66, p<.007)
was the first source of information for more females than males (see

Table 9).

 

63

Table 8

Percentages and Differences of Sources of Adolescents'
Sexuality Informetipn Accorgi_n_g to Adelescente and Parents

 

 

Parents Youths Significance
Curr. Pref. First Curr. Pref. Curr. Pref.
Source
Mother 85.4 89.4 38.6 45.6 45.6 .0003 .0000
Father 39.6 45.8 7.0 10.5 19.3 .001 .0034
Brothers & Sisters 8.3 4.2 3.5 7.0 5.3 1.00 1.00
Friends 22.9 2.1 31.6 21.1 14.0 1.00 .03
Other Adults 16.7 4.2 8.8 10.5 5.3 .55 .1 .00
Books, magazines
& movies 18.8 8.3 10.5 15.8 7.0 .75 1.00
Church 27.1 85.4 5.3 10.5 21.1 .30 .0000
School 77.1 45.8 36.8 57 .9 35.1 . 19 .38
Other 2.1 0 8.8 14.0 14.0 .07 .008

N ole. Differences measured by NcNemar Chi-square.

Table 9

64

Pereenteges and Gender Differences for Adolescents'
Sources of Sexually Information

 

 

First Current Preferred

F M x2 F M x2 F M x2
Source
Mother 57.9 16.7 9.79“ 63.6 20.8 8.6" 60.6 25.0 5.74“
Father 3.0 12.5 .73 12.1 8.3 0.0 18.2 20.8 0.0
Brothers 8: Sisters 6.1 0.0 .24 12.1 0.0 1.55 6.1 4.2 0.0
Friends 30.3 33.3 0.0 27.3 12.5 1.04 15.2 12.5 0.0
OtherAdults 15.2 0.0 2.32 18.2 0.0 3.14 9.1 0.0 .84
Books, Magazines,
&Movies 6.1 16.7 .72 24.2 4.2 2.84" 12.1 0.0 1.5
Church 6.1 4.2 0.0 18.2 0.0 3.14“ 21.2 20.8 0.0
School 39.4 33.3 .03 48.5 70.8 2.0 36.4 33.3 0.0
Other 12.1 4.2 .33 18.2 8.3 .45 15.2 12.5 0.0
*p<.05 “p<.01 “*p<.CX)1

65

When asked how they were currently receiving information about
sexuality, adolescents reported that they were currently learning
mostly from school and mother (see Table 9). These percentages were
58% (n=33) and 46% (n=26) respectively. Friends were next with
21% (n=12) of the adolescents selecting this source. Brothers and
sisters, church and other adults were least selected as current source
of information, with adolescents indicating 7% (n=4), 11% (n=6), and
11% (n=6) respectively.

A chi-square analysis of gender differences revealed that only one
source, mother, was significantly different. Females reported that they
were currently learning about sexuality from mothers more than males
(X2 :86, p < .003) (see Table 8).

When asked how their children were currently receiving their
sexuality information, parents reported that their children were mostly
learning about sexuality from mother, school, and father, with parents
indicating 85% (n=41), 77% (n=37) and 40% (n=19) respectively.
Parents suggested their children were least likely to learn from
brothers and sisters, other adults, and others, indicating 8% (n=4),
17% (n=8), and 2% (n=1) respectively (see Table 8).

A McNemar chi—square analysis examined the differences
between how parents believed their children were currently obtaining
their sexuality information and how children reported receiving
sexuality information. There were 5 significant differences of sources.
Parents chose mother as a current source much more than adolescents
(p < .0003). Parents also chose fathers (p < .005) and church

(p <.001) as current source significantly more than adolescents.

66
However, adolescents chose "other" as being a current source of
sexuality information more than parents (p < .07) (see Table 8).

When asked about their preferred sources of sexuality
information, adolescents reported that their preferred sources were
mother, school, and church, with adolescents responding 46% (n=26),
35% (n=35) and 21% (n=12) respectively. The least preferred sources
of sexuality information were books, magazines, & movies, other adults,
and brothers and sisters. Seven percent (n=4) chose books,
magazines and movies; 5% (n=3) chose brothers and sisters; and 5%
(n=3) chose other adults (see Table 8).

A chi—square analysis examined gender differences. Only 1
source was significantly different. Females chose mothers as a
preferred source of sexuality information significantly more than males
(X2 = 5.74, p < .02) (see Table 9).

When asked about preferred sources of sexuality information for
their children, parents reported that their preferred sources were
mother, church, father, and school. Ninety percent (n=43) of the
parents chose mother, 85% (n=41) chose church, 46% (n=22) chose
father, and 46% (n=22) chose school. The least preferred sources of
information were other adults, friends, brothers and sisters, and other.
Two percent (n=1) chose friends, 4% (n=2) chose other adults, and
4% (n=2) chose brothers and sisters. No one chose "other" as a
preferred source (see Table 8).

A McNemar chi-square analysis examined the difference between
parents' preferred source of information for their children and
adolescents' preferred source of information. Five sources were

significantly different. Parents chose mother (p < .001), father (p <

67
.0034) and church (p < .001) as preferred sources of information
significantly more than adolescents. However, adolescents chose
friends (p < .03) and other (p < .008) significantly more than parents
(see Table 8).

In summary, adolescents reported that mother, school, and
friends were their first sources of sexuality information. School,
mother, and friends were their current sources, and mother, school,
and church were their preferred choices of sexuality information.
Parents. on the other hand, reported that mother, school and father
were adolescents' current source of sexuality information, and mother,
church, and father were parents' preferred source of information for
adolescents. Parents included father as a preferred source significantly

more than adolescents.

Parental-Chfld Discussion about Sexualigz
Thirty three percent of the adolescents reported they discussed

sexuality often or very often with their parents; 23% (n=l3) often, and
11% (n=6) very often. Sixty eight percent reported that they either
seldom or never discussed sexuality with their parents; 32% (n=18)
seldom and 35% (n=20) never. Fifty six percent (n=27) of the parents
reported that they discussed sexuality often or very often with their
children; 31% (n=15) often and 25% (n=12) very often. Forty four
percent (n=21) reported that they seldom discussed sexuality with
their children.

A McNemar chi-square analysis examined the difference between

parents' and adolescents' responses and revealed a significant

68
difference (p < .008) where parents indicated discussing sexuality with
adolescents more than adolescents discussed sexuality with parents.

When asked how often would they like to discuss sexuality with
their parents, 25% (n=20) of adolescents indicated that they would
like to discuss it often or very often. Most indicated seldom - 42%
(n=24), while 23% (n=13) said never. When parents responded to the
same question, 92% (n=48) indicated that they would like to discussed
sexuality often or very often with their children, while 8% (n=4)
seldom would like to discuss it. None of the parents indicated "never"
wanting to discuss sexuality with their children.

A McNemar chi-square analysis examined the differences
between parents and youths. There was a significant difference
between parents and youths where parents significantly more often
wanted to discuss sexuality with their children than children wanted to
with their parents (p < .001).

When asked how comfortable did you feel discussing sexuality
with parents, most adolescents (60%) felt either uncomfortable or very
uncomfortable. Twenty three percent (n=13) indicated they felt very
uncomfortable, and 39% felt uncomfortable. Thirty nine percent felt
either comfortable or very comfortable. Five percent felt very
comfortable and 33% felt comfortable.

When parents responded to the same questions, how comfortable
did you feel discussing sexuality with your children, most felt either
comfortable or very comfortable discussing it. Forty two percent
(n=20) felt comfortable and 48% felt very comfortable.

A McNemar chi-square analysis examined the differences

between parents and youths on this item. It revealed that parents felt

69
significantly more comfortable discussing sexuality with their children
than children with parents (p < .0001).

In summary, relatively few adolescents reported that they often
discussed sexuality with parents, and usually felt uncomfortable in
doing so. They also did not want to discuss sexuality with their parents
to any great extent. In contrast, more parents reported often
discussing sexuality with their adolescents than adolescents reported
discussing it with their parents, and parents felt comfortable in doing
so. Parents also overwhelmingly wanted to discuss sexuality with their

children.

Parental Knowledge about Sexualigg
When asked how much they thought their parents knew about

sexuality, most adolescents believed their parents knew "a lot" or
"quite a bit." Forty percent (n=23) believed their parents knew "quite
a bit" and 49% (n=28) believed their parents knew "a lot." Two
percent (n=1) believed their parents knew nothing at all, 2% (n=1)
believed their parents knew "very little," and 7% (n=4) believed their
parents had "some" knowledge.

When parents were asked how much they felt they knew about
sexuality, most responded either "quite a bit" and "a lot." Fifty two
percent (n=25) felt they knew "quite a bit" and 42% (n=20) felt they
knew "a lot." Two percent (n=1) felt they knew nothing at all and 4%
(n=2) felt they knew "some."

A McNemar chi-square analysis of this item revealed that there

was no significant difference between parents and youths (p < .50).

70
Both adolescents and parents believed parents knew a great deal about

sexuality.

Amount of Sexualigg Education Taken by Adolescents.
When asked how much sexuality education they have had in

school, most of the adolescents had either "quite a bit" (40%) or "a lot"
(32%) of sexuality education. Only 4% (n=2) reported having no
sexuality education. The most frequently reported source of sexuality
education was through health class, 72%. Pearson's correlation
coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the amount
of knowledge which adolescents had as demonstrated by the
knowledge scale and the amount of sexuality education. No significant

correlation was found (r=.16).

Appropriate Age, Format and Time-frame for Sexualigg Education

When asked how often sexuality education should be offered,
30% (n=17) of adolescents felt it should be offered "five days a week,"
14% (n=8) felt it should be offered "3 days a week," 21% (n=12) felt it
should be offered "2 days a week," 25% (n=14) felt it should be offered
"once a week," and 11% (n=6) felt it should be offered "less than once
a week." Sixty four percent felt it should be offered "two days a week"
or more.

When parents were asked how often sexuality education should
be offered, 4% (n=2) felt it should be offered "five days a week," 6%
(n=3) felt it should be offered "3 days a week," 21% (n=10) felt it
should be offered "2 days a week," 52% (n=25) felt it should be offered

"once a week," and 17% (n=8) felt it should be offered "less than once

7 1
a week." Thirty one percent felt it should be offered "two days a week"
or more.

Both parents and youths were asked how long sexuality education
should last. Nenty eight percent (n=16) of the adolescents felt it
should last "more than 1 year," 18% (n=10) felt it should last "7-12
months," 9% (n=5) felt it should last "3-6 months," 7% (n=4) felt it
should last for "10-12 weeks," 21% (n=12) felt it should last for "6—9
weeks," and 18% (n=10) felt it should last for "less than 6 weeks."

When asked how long sexuality education should last, 33%
(n=16) of the parents felt it should last "more than 1 year," 8% (n=4)
felt it should last "7-12 months," 10% (n=5) felt it should last "3—6
months," 2% (n=1) felt it should last for "10-12 weeks," 33% (n=16)
felt it should last for "6-9 weeks," and 13% (n=6) felt it should last for
"less than 6 weeks."

When asked which class format would be preferred, 37% (n=21)
preferred "small group discussion with boys and girls," 28% (n=16)
preferred "large group lecture with boys and girls," and 14% (n=8)
preferred "large group lecture with girls only."

Both parents and youths were asked what were appropriate ages
to begin learning about sexuality. Forty two percent (n=24) of the
adolescents felt the appropriate age was "older than 10 years," 25%
(n=14) felt the appropriate age was "9—10 years old," 21% (n=12) felt
the appropriate age was "7-8 years old," and 12% (n=7) felt the
appropriate age was "5-6 years old."

Ten percent (n=5) of the parents felt the appropriate age was

"older than 10 years," 17% (n=8) felt the appropriate age was "9-10

72
years old," 19% (n=9) felt the appropriate age was "7-8 years old," and
54% (n=26) felt the appropriate age was "5-6 years old."

In summary, most adolescents (65%) felt that sexuality education
should be offered for 2 days a week or more. They were split on how
long sexuality education should last. Half wanted it to last from one
year to 6 months while the other half from 6 to 12 weeks. Most
wanted to learn in small group discussion classes. Sixty seven percent
felt that sexuality education should begin at 9 years old and older. A
majority of parents (52%) felt that sexuality education should be
offered once a week for 3 - 8 months to more than a year (51%), and it

should begin at 5-6 years old.

Parents as Primepy Source of Sexualigz Education

When parents were asked how important sexuality education was
for their teenager, 96% believed it was important; 77% (n=37) felt it
was "very important“; 19% felt it was "important," and 4% (n=2) felt it
was unimportant.

When parents were asked how much more information they felt
they needed to be their children's primary source of sexuality
information, 40% (n=19) felt they needed "quite a bit" or "a lot," 35%
(n=17) felt they needed "some," and 25% (n=12) felt they needed
"very little" or "none at all."

When parents were asked if they would like additional knowledge
to become primary source of sexuality information, 83% (n=40) said
"yes," and 96% (n=46) were willing to attend a class which would help

parents to become primary source of sexuality education.

73
Parents of adolescents felt that sexuality education was important
and willing to attend classes to obtain more knowledge to become

primary sexuality educator.

Summeg;

The findings from the survey presented an interesting
comparison between parents and adolescents regarding sexuality
education. Parents and their children often expressed dissimilar
interests and often contradicted one another when asked the same or
similar questions. There were, however, a few similarities.

Adolescents appeared to be only marginally interested in
obtaining more information about sexuality. Only 19 topics were
endorsed by a slight majority (from 50 to 65%) of adolescents.
However, these topics covered a wide range of areas of sexuality which
included biological, psychological, and social perspectives. Adolescents
were interested in knowing more about such issues as interpersonal
relationships, implications and consequences of sexual behavior,
personal growth and development, familial preparation, and even social
problem issues such as child molesting and rape.

Parents, on the other hand, were overwhelmingly interested in
having their children obtain more information in all areas of sexuality.
A majority of parents indicated interest in 41 of 45 topics presented,
with 80% and more wanting their children to have more information
on 15 topics. These topics, as with adolescents, covered a wide range
of areas of sexuality which included biological, psychological, and social
areas. Most of the more preferred topics for parents referred to

personal growth and development.

74

There were some similiarities between the topics about which
adolescents desired more information and what topics about which
parents wanted them to have more information. Both wanted more
information on the following topics: achieving independence,
preparing for marriage, premarital sex, child molesting, decision-
making skills, sexually transmitted diseases, avoiding premarital sex,
religious values, self esteem, dating, rape, understanding yourself, and
dealing with peer pressure. However, the degree of support and range
of each topic varied greatly. For example, achieving independence had
the highest percentage of adolescents indicating that they want more
information, while this same item had the nineth highest percentage
among parents. Preparing for marriage was second for adolescents and
eleventh for parents. This contrast was consistent throughout.

The least supported topics for both groups were different for
parents and adolescents. Adolescents were least likely to chose topics
regarding male reproduction and other topics such as homosexuality
and pornography, while parents were least likely to chose such t0pics
as sterilization, menstruation, abortion, and wet dreams.

Most of the adolescents surveyed had basic knowledge of sexual
reproduction as indicated by their score on the knowledge scale, and
there was no significant differences between males and females. The
range of scores was wide, however, 86% of the adolescents had a score
higher than 50%.

Adolescents were not highly concerned about the issues
presented in the worry scale. There was only one item in which
greater than half of the respondents indicated concern. They were

most concerned about being able to tell if someone really loved them.

75
Other concerns, though not for a majority of the sample, were when it
was right to have sex, whether they would know how to have
intercourse, and how to stop from going too far. Adolescents might
have been concerned about other sexuality issues which were not
assessed by this measure.

Male-female differences on the worry scale were found but these
differences were for items which were gender specific. For instance,
more females worried about getting pregnant while more males
worried about getting someone pregnant. Overall, there was no
significant difference between how much males or females were
worried about those issues of sexuality.

Adolescents reported that mother, school, and friends were their
first sources of sexuality information, while siblings, father, and church
were least chosen as first sources of information. Mother was more
likely to be the first source for females than for males.

They also reported that their current sources of sexuality
information were school, mother, and friends, while siblings, church
and other adults were the least likely to be current sources of
information. Mother was more likely to be the first source for females
than for males.

Parents, however, reported that their children's current sources
of information were mother, school, and father, while they were least
likely to report their children's current sources as siblings, other
adults, and "other." Adolescents indicated mother and school as being
current sources, however, there was a sharp contrast between parents

and adolescents for father. Adolescents reported father as one of the

76
least likely sources and parents reported father as one of the more
likely sources.

Adolescents' preferred sources of sexuality information were
mother, school, and church, while their least preferred sources were
book, magazines, and movies, other adults, and siblings. Females chose
mother as preferred source more than males.

Parents' preferred sources of information for their children were
mother, church, and father, while their least preferred sources were
other adults, friends, and siblings. Parents' choices differ from their
children's choices. Parents preferred father as a source and were
significantly less likely to prefer friends as a source of sexuality
information.

Relatively few adolescents reported often discussing sexuality
with parents, and usually felt uncomfortable in doing so. In
contrast,more parents than adolescents reported that they often
discussed sexuality with their adolescents and felt comfortable in doing
so. Still another contrast, while most adolescents did not want to
discuss sexuality with their parents to any great extent, parents
overwhelmingly wanted to discuss sexuality more with their children.

Both adolescents and their parents believed that parents knew a
great deal about sexuality. However, while parents believed they knew
a great deal, they were still interested in obtaining more knowledge to
become primary sexuality educator for their children, and were willing

to attend a class to become primary sexuality educator.

CHAPTER 4

Discussion

The purpose of this research was to assess the distinct needs of
Black adolescents who attended Black churches. The findings
presented an interesting comparison between youths and parents as
each related their interests and concerns about sexuality education. It
suggested that there were some distinction as well as some
similarities between this population and those previously sampled,
mostly white, school affiliated groups.

Adolescents within the Black churches surveyed indicated
wanting to learn about a broader range of topics than was indicated by
adolescents in the literature. These topics covered a wide range of
areas which emphasized personal growth and development,
interpersonal relationships, and consequences of sexual behaviors
more than physiology and anatomy. Anatomy and physiology were not
considered as top choices for sexuality education. (This must be
interpreted carefully, however, since the definition and understanding
of sexuality had changed over time to become more "comprehensive"
in nature, including a wide range of topics relevant to adolescent
development as well as sexuality.) Also Black adolescents within the
Black churches indicated wanting more information about religious
values. It would, however, logically fit that adolescents within a
church setting would be interested in religious values.

Though adolescents surveyed wanted more information on a

wide range of topics and issues, their interest was marginal for only a

77

78
few of the topics presented. There was no suggestion in the literature
of how much interest adolescents expressed for any of the topics
outlined in the literature.

Parents within the Black church had relatively similar responses
to parents in the literature. They were overwhelmingly interested in
having their children obtain more information on most of the topics
presented. However, Silverstein & Buck (1986), who surveyed
parents of high socio-economic status, concluded that this
overwhelming response was due to the parents high socioeconomic
status. This study did not support this conclusion. The sample was of
various socio-economic and educational backgrounds. What this did
suggest was that parents within Black church, no matter what their
SES was, supported most of the sexuality education topics presented.
SES was not a factor for this issue within this study.

Rubinson & Baille (1981) suggested that there were differences
between parents and youths interests for sexuality education. This
study supported that assertion. While adolescents were marginally
interested in only a few topics, parents were overwhelmingly
interested in most of the topics presented. However, adolescents and
parents of this study were in more agreement about their most
preferred topics than those in Rubinson & Baille's (1981) study.
Youths and parents agreed on 13 of 19 of their most preferred topics.

Black adolescents surveyed demonstrated basic sexual
knowledge with 86% of the sample answering more than 50% of the
questions correctly. This result was an indication that adolescents
were receiving or had received basic biological facts about sexuality.

However, as indicated by the results of the topic scale, adolescents

79
wanted to have a more "comprehensive" view of sexuality than what
biology provided. Most of the adolescents surveyed reported receiving
their formal sexuality education from a "health class." This might
suggest that health classes were primarily presenting basic biological
sexual information.

Adolescents within the Black church were not, to a great extent,
concerned about the issues presented. However, because the majority
of adolescents did not indicate any substantial amount of worry, it
should not be interpreted that adolescents had no concerns about
sexuality. It might suggest that their concerns were not assessed by
the measures presented. Measures might be developed to more
sensitively discern the concerns of adolescents within the Black
church.

The results from the knowledge and worry scales could be
directly compared to the results from two previous studies which used
the same or modified versions of these measures. Parcel, Luttman,
and Meyers (1979) developed a 20 item knowledge scale, modified
the Sexual Concern Check List (Kirkendall & Calderwood, 1970), and
used these measures to evaluate a sex education program presented to
8th grade students. The knowledge scale was the same measure used
in this study although 2 items were deleted. There were eleven items
from their modified sexual concerns scale which were identical to
items from the worry scale used in this study.

For the second study, Parcel & Luttman (1981) modified their
original 20 item knowledge scale and the Sexual Concern Check List
(Kirkendall & Calderwood, 1979) and used these measures again to

evaluate a sex education program presented to 8th grade students.

80
The knowledge scale consisted of 30 items, 13 of which were used in
the original scale and were part of the measure used in this study.
The Sexual Concerns Check List was a 15 item scale. This scale was
modified slightly and used for this study.

Parcel, Luttman, and Meyers (1979) presented pre- and
postmeasures of sexual knowledge and worry to 32 8th grade students
between the ages of 13 and 14 years old. Nineteen of these students
were "Anglo-American," 8 were "Black-American," 2 were "Mexican-
Americans," and 2 were "other." The results on the knowledge scale
indicated that a majority of students (on the pretest) were
knowledgeable about basic sexual functioning and behavior with 60%
or more answering 14 of the items correctly. Ten items were
answered correctly by 75% or more of the adolescents. The mean
score for the 20 items was 67.34%. The mean score for 18 items
(those items used in this study) was 73.81%.

The results of the "concerns" scale indicated that the majority
of adolescents assessed were not concerned about the issues
presented. Of the 25 items, a majority of adoelscents (50% to 59.4%)
indicated being concerned about only 3 items: "what intercourse is
like," "whether some really loves me," and "will I know how to have
intercourse." Of the 25 items, 11 items were identical to items used
in this study. Of these 1 1 items, a majority of adolescents indicated
being concerned about only 2 items, "whether someone really loves
me," and "will I know how to have intercourse."

These results were comparable to those found in this study
where Black adolescents within the Black church were knowledgeable

about basic sexual functioning and behavior, and were not basically

8 l
concerned about the issues presented. For both studies, the mean
scores on the knowledge scale were comparable (73.81% for Parcel,
et al., and 74.4% for this study), and the majority of adolescents
answered most of the items correctly. For the worry scale,
adolescents in both studies were most concerned about how to tell "if
someone really loves me" and "whether I will know how to have
intercourse.“ It would seem that Black adolescents' sexual knowledge
and concerns were similar to this racially diverse yet predominately
white, school based group.

In the second study, Parcel & Luttman (1981) presented pre—
and postmeasures of knowledge and worry to 62 8th grade students.
(No demographics were reported for these students.) The results on
the 30 items knowledge scale indicated that a majority of students
(50% to 85%) answered 18 items correctly. Thirteen items were
identical to those used in this study, and of those 13, a majority of
adolescents answered 9 of these items correctly (58%—85%). The
mean score for the knowledge scale was 15.

The results on the 15 item worry scale indicated that a majority
of adolescents were worried about 10 items (52%-76%). They were
most worried about "how to tell if a boy or girl really loved me," and
"how far to go with sex." More than 50% of these adolescents also
were worried about “getting pregnant or getting someone else
pregnant," some of their "thoughts about sex," and "when it is right to
have sex with another person."

When compared to the results from Parcel & Luttman's (1981)
study, there was an indication that Black adolescents were as

knowledgeable about sexual functioning and behavior as the other

82
sample. However, the sample studied by Parcel & Luttman (1979)
were more worried about the sexual issues presented than Black
adolescents within the Black church. While the highest ranking
concerns for Black adolescents were among those highest ranking
concerns for the subjects in the Parcel & Luttman (1981) study (i.e.
"how I can tell whether someone really loves me," "knowing when it is
right to have sex...," "having thoughts about sex"), the subjects in the
Parcel & Luttman's (1981) study were not only more concerned about
these items but the other items as well. This suggusted that there
might be differential concerns between Black adolescents within the
Black church and adolescents from other populations.

Black adolescents had first and were currently learning about
sexuality from mother, school, and friends but they would prefer to
learn from mother, school, and church. If adolescent had a choice, it
seemed that church would replace friends as a source of sexuality
information. This was certainly unique to this population. This
contradicted the suggestion that media and friends were becoming
increasingly important to adolescents as preferred sources of sexuality
information.

Parents believed that adolescents were currently obtaining
information from mother, school, and father but they would prefer
their children to have information from mother, church, and father.
Both parents and youths were considering mother and church as a
preferred source of sexuality information.

It was imperative to make an assessment on parent-youth
communication on sexuality to consider parents as a source of

sexuality education. Parents would be willing to discuss sexuality with

83

their children and would feel comfortable in doing so while youths
would not want to discuss sexuality with their parents or feel
comfortable in doing so. Also parents wanted to be primary source of
sexuality education and were interested in attending a class to do so.

This study suggested that there might be distinct needs of
adolescents within the Black church which include covering a wide
range of topics in sexuality education and including church as a source

of sexuality information.

Limitations
This study presented a preliminary examination of the needs of
adolescents and their parents for sexuality education. It was not
exhaustive in assessing the needs of this population. Sexuality is a
complex issue which encompassed biological, socio-cultural,
psychological, and religious areas of human growth and development.
According to Chilman (NIH, 1978), human sexuality is a complex
integration of all that one is and will:
include a sense of gender identity and related concepts,
behaviors, and attitudes about self and others as masculine or
feminine persons in the context of society. ...Sexuality pervades
virtually every aspect of the person‘s life. It is affected by the
totality of what it means to be a male or female person; by one's
past and present experiences and anticipations of the future; by
one's stage of development and life situation; by one's physical—
constitutional capacities and characteristics; and by the kind of
society and period of time in which one lives (p. 3).
Given the complex nature of sexuality which is multidimensional, a
more comprehensive examination of needs for sexuality education
could include an assessment of sexual attitudes, values, behaviors of
adolescents and their parents, along with assessing more

environmental and social concerns and needs of adolescents such as

84
academic aspirations or home environment. A more ecological
approach would examine the role of society upon sexual attitudes,
values, and behaviors.

Sexuality education must be presented so that the target
population could cognitively comprehend and integrate the
information. Therefore, sexuality education must be appropriate for
the cognitive level of the targeted age group. Age was a variable that
should be examined in subsequent research. It would be important to
know how needs vary for age and if there were significant differences
between age groups.

Mechanisms and sources through which sexuality education
could be presented would be important for subsequent research as
well to answer such questions as: Did adolescents want parents to
exclusively teach them about sexuality, and if so, how would parents do
so? Who would be appropriate teachers within the church? What type
of teaching techniques were beneficial or preferred by adolescents or
by parents?

A closer examination of the relationship between demographic
variables and the needs for sexuality education might be useful as well.
It would help give a more precise description of the populations'
needs given its characteristics.

The results of this study would not be generalizable beyond the
samples examined. The churches or subjects were not randomly
selected. Also participation was voluntary which suggested that there
could be sample bias. It was not known how representative this
sample was of the churches surveyed, the denomination or the Black

church in general because the demographic information on which to

85
make this assessment was not available. However, it was assumed that
only a subset of the population surveyed was represented in this
sample, like most other samples. It might represent the more
educated or those of higher SES status, or any other combination or
subset of the populations demographic characteristics. Familial values
and attitudes might be a factor when considering sampling bias.
Those families who were more accepting of discussing sexuality issues
might have been more likely to respond than families who were not.
There could be a multitude of factors effecting sampling bias.
Subsequent research could control for this lack of external validity by

randomly selecting both churches and subjects.

Implications for Sexuality Education

The findings presented an interesting dilemma for sexuality
education. The dilemma was that parents and youths had different
perceptions and desires for sexuality education. Each presented their
own model. The model of sexuality education implied by adolescents
from this study was that sexuality education should begin at an age of 9
years old and older, be conducted in a small group setting, last for
several weeks to several months, and meet for more than twice per
week. Only a few topics should be presented but those topics should
cover a wide range of areas of sexuality. The sources of sexuality
education should be mother, church, and school. (This seemed to be a
contradiction because adolescents indicated they were not
comfortable about discussing sexuality with parents.) The model of
sexuality education implied by parents was that sexuality education

should begin at 5 or 6 years old, and be offered once a week for 3-8

86
months to more than a year. Many topics and issues which
emphasized personal growth and development and included many
other areas of sexuality, biological, social, psychological, and religious.
The sources of sexuality education should be mother, church, and
father. Parents were quite interested in being the primary source of
sexuality information and would feel comfortable in discussing
sexuality with their children.

The current model of sexuality education was school based,
taught to adolescents between ages of 11 to 18 years old, and
presented between 10 to 24 hours of instruction regarding sexuality.
A variety and wide range of topics were covered though the subject
areas seemed to concentrate on the physiological nature of sexuality.
For the adolescents surveyed, this model might fit with their
conception of sexuality education. They indicated school as one of
their preferred sources of sexuality information. It would likely begin
at an age greater than 9 (quite possible 11-12 years old), and would
cover only a few topics but a variety of topics. However, this did not
incorporate adolescents‘ desire for mother and church to be sources
of sexuality information nor did it incorporate adolescents' desire to
learn from a religious perspective. For parents, this model would be
severely deficient. It would not begin at an appropriate age; the
duration would be too short and not enough topics areas would be
covered. School would be an inappropriate source of sexuality
information because parents were more interested in themselves and
church as sources of sexuality information. This model, therefore, was

inadequate for the needs of adolescents within the Black church.

87

The information gathered from this study presented researchers
with a unique opportunity for creative, social innovation, that is, to
design a sexuality education program for adolescents within the Black
church, and one which adequately minimized the incongruences
between the model of sexuality education given by youths and the
model of sexuality given by parents. It offered suggestions for building
a model that was church based and utilized both church leaders and
parents as sources of sexuality information, and one which would teach
children from ages 5 to 18.

This research supported the assertion that needs for sexuality
education was different or unique for various communities, cultures, or
even religious groups. It provided strong evidence that these needs
for both parents and adolescents within a given culture must be
assessed before designing and implementing a sexuality program for
adolescents. Once their needs were assessed, a sexuality program
must be designed which minimized the dichtomy and polarization that
existed between parents' and adolescents' interests and concerns in
order to have a successful program. Parents' input and desires would
be paramount, not just because they assumed the role of parents, but
because they were and desired to be primary sources of sexuality

information for their adolescents.

 

F0 OTNOTES

A chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between
gender for the total topics scale and individual items within that
scale. Though using chi—square for individual items within each
scale violated the assumption that the items were independent,
the analysis was used to help facilitate specific curriculum
planning, that is, which topics could be more appropriate for
males or females.

A chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between
adolescents and parents for the total topics scale and individual
items within that scale. Though using chi-square for individual
items within each scale violated the assumption that the items
were independent, the analysis was used to help facilitate
specific curriculum planning, that is, which topics were more
appropriate according to adolescents and parents.

A chi—square analysis was used to examine differences between
gender for the total knowledge scale and individual items within
that scale. Though using chi-square for individual items within
each scale violated the assumption that the items were
independent, the analysis was used to help facilitate specific
curriculum planning, that is, to determine whether there were
certain items in which males or females had more knowledge.

A chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between
gender for the total worry scale and individual items within that
scale. Though using chi-square for individual items within each
scale violated the assumption that the items were independent,
the analysis was used to help facilitate specific curriculum
planning, that is, which concerns were more prevalent for males
or females.

88

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

Adolescents' Survey

SU RVEY

This study is being sponsored by King's Chapel Assembly, and is being
conducted by Jeanette M. Gassaway who is the principal researcher and
master's degree candidate at Michigan State University. The survey is
designed to understand the needs, concerns, and interests of adolescents
and their parents for sexuality education. We would like to know what is
important to YOU about sexuality, and how we can design a sexuality
education program based upon YOUR needs and concerns. This survey
will ask you about issues and topics that relate to sexuality.

Please complete this survey. Your answers are very important to us.

All of the information that you give within this survey will remain
confidential, that is, this information will not be shared with anyone, not
even your parents. All of the information received from you will be
anonymous, too, which means that because you will not put your name on
this survey, no one will be able to identify this survey as being from you.
Please do not put your name anywhere on this survey.

Your participation is completely voluntary. It is your decision whether to
complete this survey or not, and you are being asked to freely consent to
complete this survey. If you choose to complete this survey, please fill it out
and return it. By doing so, you will be consenting to participate in this
survey. You can decide not to continue the survey at any time or can choose
not. to answer any question within the survey. Once you have completed
and returned the survey, your participation in this study will be over.

All the results of this survey will remain confidential and anonymous. If
you would like to know the results, they will be given to you in an
anonymous and confidential manner, that is, only group information will
be given so that no individual can be identified. The principal researcher
will be the only person to see individual surveys and results.

Please, DO NOT share this information with ANYONE (not even with your
parents) or ask anyone for help. Answer the questions the best YOU can.

You may return the survey to: Michigan State University, P. 0. Box 6231,

East Lansing, Michigan 48826 or you may return it in the envelope
provided.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

94

95

PART I

The following is a list of topics that relate to sexuality. Please let us know
how much more information you would like to have about each topic. If you
would like ”a great deal" more information on that the topic, circle 4. If you
would like "much more" information on the topic, circle 3. If you would
liked to have "a little more" information, circle 2, and if you would not like
to have any information on the topic, please circle 1. Circle only M
number for each item.

AGreat Much A little None

Deal More More More at all
Love 4 3 2 1
Achieving independence 4 3 2 1
Self-esteem 4 3 2 1
Decision making skills 4 3 2 1
Femininity 4 3 2 1
Masculinity 4 3 2 1
Dealing with peer pressure 4 3 2 1
Emotional needs during adolescence 4 3 2 1
Defining sexuality 4 3 2 1
Religious values 4 3 2 1
Responsibility 8. concern for others 4 3 2 1
Communication with parents 4 3 2 1
Becoming comfortable with the opposite sex 4 3 2 1
Dating 4 3 2 1
Premarital Sex 4 3 2 1
Sexual attraction 4 3 2 1
Value and role of the family 4 3 2 1
Romantic relationships 4 3 2 1
Understanding yourself 4 3 2 1

Divorce (why it occurs) 4 3 2 1

96

AGreat Much A little None

Deal More More More at all
Homosexuality 4 3 2 1
Sex in the media (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, etc.) 4 3 2 1
The male body 4 3 2 1
The female body 4 3 2 1
Sexual intercourse 4 3 2 1
Birth process 4 3 2 1
Sterilization 4 3 2 1
Abortion 4 3 2 1
Sex role stereotyping 4 3 2 1
Avoiding premarital sex 4 3 2 1
Teen pregnancy 4 3 2 1
Birth control 4 3 2 1
Preparing for marriage 4 3 2 1
Preparing for parenting 4 3 2 1
Physical changes during adolescence 4 3 2 1
Menstruation 4 3 2 1
Vaginal discharge 4 3 2 1
Erection 4 3 2 1
Ejaculation of sperm 4 3 2 1
Wet dreams 4 3 2 1
Masturbation 4 3 2 1
Pornography 4 3 2 1
Sexually transmitted diseases 4 3 2 1
Rape 4 3 2 1

Child molesting 4 3 2 1

97

Please list or describe any other topics you may want to include in a
sexuality education course that is NOT listed above.

 

 

 

PART II

Below are statements about sexuality. Please tell us whether these
statements are true or false or Whether you don't know the correct answer.
Please circle 2 if you believe the statement is true, 1 if you believe the
statement is false or 0 if you don't know the answer. Please circle only we
number for each statement.

True False Don't

Know
The clitoris is a part of the female sex organs 2 1 0
Sperm (male seeds) are produced in the
testicles (male sex glands). 2 1 0
Attitudes and fear during pregnancy can
result in damage to the baby. 2 1 0
Ejaculation is the active release of sperm from the penis. 2 1 0
Ova (eggs) are produced in the ovaries. 2 1 0
The uterus is a female organ for having intercourse. 2 1 O
A "wet dream" is normal release of fluid from
the penis during sleep. 2 1 0
A baby comes out of its mother's body through the vagina. 2 1 0
You can tell if someone has had sexual intercourse
because he or she will look different. 2 1 0
Boys usually develop later than girls. 2 1 0
Menstruation flow leaves the body from the vagina. 2 1 0
Menstruation is a regular discharge of blood
and the lining of the uterus. 2 1 0
There are ways of having intercourse without becoming pregnant. 2 1 0
Boys have a monthly period something like the girls' period. 2 1 0

An erection means that a boy's penis becomes larger and gets stiff. 2 1 0

98

Ova (eggs) can join up with sperm after sexual
intercourse to form a baby. 2 1 0

Sexual intercourse is when a male puts his
penis in a female's vagina. 2 1 0

A girl can get pregnant if she kisses a boy's penis
or if a boy kisses her vagina. 2 1 0

PART III

Below are statements of how someone may worry when they think about sex
and sexuality. Please tell us whether you worry about the same things.
For each statement, if you often worry about that thing, circle 2. If you
sometimes worry, circle 1. If you don't worry about that issue at all, circle
number 3. Please circle only me number for each statement.

Often Sometimes Never

I worry that my sex organs are too large. 2 1 O
l worry that my sex organs are too small. 2 1 O
I worry about the effects of masturbation. 2 1 O
I worry about knowing when it is right to have sex with 2 1 0

another person.

I worry about not being as feminine as other girls. 2 1 0
I worry about not being as masculine as other boys. 2 1 0
l worry about how I can tell whether someone really loves me. 2 1 O
I worry whether petting is right or wrong. 2 1 0
I worry about wanting to see what other boys look like naked. 2 1 0
I worry about wanting to see what other girls look like naked. 2 1 0
I worry about having thoughts about sex. 2 1 0
I worry about how far to go with sex. 2 1 0
I worry about having a desire to look at

sexually exciting pictures. 2 1 0
I worry about getting pregnant. 2 1 0

I worry about getting someone pregnant. 2 1 0

99

Oflen Sometimes Never

I worry about how to stop from going too far. 2 1 O
I worry about whether I will know how to have intercourse. 2 1 0
PART IV

How did you first learn about sex?
[ ] Mother [ ] Friends [ ] Church
[ ] Father [ ] Other Adults [ ] School
[ ] Brother & Sisters [ ] Books, Magazines, Movies [ ] Other (1-2)

How are you learning about sex and sexuality now?

[ ] Mother [ ] Friends [ ] Church
[ ] Father . [ ] Other Adults [ ] School
[ ] Brother & Sisters [ ] Books, Magazines, Movies [ ] Other (1-2)

How do you want to learn about sex and sexuality?

[ ] Mother [ ] Friends [ ] Church
[ ] Father [ ] Other Adults [ I School
[ ] Brother & Sisters [ ] Books, Magazines, Movies [ ] Other (1-2)

How often do you discuss sex and sexuality with your parents?

[ ]Very often (4) [ ] Seldom (2)
[]Often (3) [] Never (1)

How often would you like to discuss sex and sexuality with your parents?

[ ]Very often (4) [ ] Seldom (2)
[]Often (3) [] Never (1)

How comfortable do you feel when you discuss sex and sexuality with your parents?

[ ]Very comfortable (4) [ ] Uncomfortable (2)
[ ]Comfortable (3) [ ] Very uncomfortable (1)

How much do you think your parent(s) know about sex and sexuality?

]Alot (5) r 1 Very little (2)
[ ] Quite a bit (4) [ ] Nothing at all (1 )
l 1 Some (3)

How much sexuality education have you had in your school?

[ ] Alot (5) [ ] Very little (2)
l ] Quite a bit (4) [ ] Nothing at all ( 1 )
l 1 Some (3)

100

What course(s) have you taken in school which discussed topics of sexuality?

[ ] Health [ ] Family Life Education [ ] Other
[ ] Sex Education [ ] Home Economics [ ] No course
[ ] Physical Education offered it (1-2)

How often do you feel sexuality education should be offered?

[ ] Less than once aweek (1) [ ] Two daysaweek (3) [ ] Five days aweek(5)
[ ] Onceaweek (2) [ ] Three daysaweek (4)

How long do you feel sexuality education should last?

[ ] Less than6weeks (1) [ ] 3-6 months (4)
[ ] 6-9 weeks (2) [ ] 7-12 months (5)
[ ] 10-12 weeks (3) [ ] More than 1 year (6)

In which of the following ways would you like to learn about sexuality?

Small group discussion with boys and girls (1 —
Small group discussion with boys only. (1 -
Small group discussion with girls only. (1 -
Large group lecture with boys and girls. ( 1 -
Large group lecture with boys only. (1 -
Large group lecture with girls only. (1 -

NNNI’ONN

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)
)
)
)
)

,_"_‘,.—‘,_,_.,_.

At what age should someone begin learning about sexuality?
[]5—6yearsold (1) []9-10yearsold (3)
[ ] 7 - 8 years old (2) [ ] 10 years old and older (4)
PART V

Please answer the following questions. Put a check mark in the box next to
the correct answer where required.

What is your age (at your last birthday)?

What is your gender?
[ ] Male (2) [ ] Female ( 1 )

What is your ethnic background?
[ ] African American (Black) (6) [ ] Puerto Rican (3)
[ ] Anglo American (White) (5) [ ] Native American (2)
[ ] Mexican American (4) [ ] Other (1 )

What is your current grade level in school?:

[]Gth (06) []8th (08) [1 11th (
[]7th (07) [ ]9th (09) [1 12th (

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N4
v

101

[ ]8th (08) [ ]10th (10) [ ] lam not enrolled in school (13)

Are you a member of King's Chapel Assembly?
[]Y%(2) [l NO(1)

How long have you been attending King's Chapel Assembly?
[ ] less than 1 year (1 )
[ ] between 1 to 5 years (2)
[ ] between 6 to 10 years (3)

Are your parent(s) a member of King's Chapel Assembly?

[ ] more than 10 years (4)
[ ] I don‘t attend at all (0)

llY%(2> [ltxb(1)

THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY.

TAKE TIME NOW TO LOOK IT OVER TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE
NOT SKIPPED ANY QUESTIONS. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS,
PLEASE PUT YOUR SURVEY IN THE ENVELOPE BELOW AND
GIVE YOUR SEALED ENVELOPE TO YOUR PARENT SO
SHE/HE CAN RETURN IT TO US. DO NOT HAVE YOUR PARENT
REVIEW OR LOOK AT YOUR SURVEY.

APPENIDIX B

Parents' Survey

SURVEY

This survey is being sponsored by King's Chapel Assembly and is being
conducted by Jeanette M. Gassaway who is the principal researcher and
master's degree candidate at Michigan State University. The survey is
designed to understand the needs, concerns, and interests of teenagers and
their parents for sexuality education. We would like to know what is
important to YOU about your teenagers' sexuality education, and how we
can design a sexuality program based upon YOUR needs and concerns for
your teenagers. This survey will ask you about issues and topics that relate
to sexuality.

Please complete this survey. Your answers are very important to us.

All of the information that you give us within this survey will remain
confidential. All of the information we receive will be anonymous, too.
Please do not put your name anywhere on this survey.

Your participation is completely voluntary. It is your decision whether to
complete this survey or not, and you are being asked to freely consent to
complete this survey. If you choose to complete this survey, please fill it out
and return it. By doing so, you will be consenting to participate in this
survey. You can decide not to continue the survey at any time or can choose
not to answer any question within the survey. Once you have completed the
survey and returned it in the envelop provided, your participation in this
study will be over.

All the results of this survey will remain confidential and anonymous. If
you would like to know the results, they will be given to you in an
anonymous and confidential manner, that is, only whole group
information will be given. The principal researcher will be the only person
who will see individual surveys.

Please, DO NOT share this information with ANYONE nor ask anyone for
help. Answer the questions the best YOU can.

Your teenagers will also be asked to complete a different survey and return
it to us. It is very important that they do this independently, without your
assistance or advice. Because we must assure the anonymity of their
response, it is important that you do not look at their responses. It is also
very important that they complete the survey voluntarily. Please do not
insist or persuade them to do so if they have decided not to complete the
survey.

You may return the survey to: Michigan State University, P. O. Box 6231,
East Lansing, Michigan 48826, or you may return it in the envelope
provided.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

102

103

PART I

The following is a list of topics that relate to sexuality. Please let us know
how much more information you would like your teenager to have about
each t0pic. If you would like them to have "a great deal" more information
on that the topic, circle 4. If you would like them to have "much more"
information on the topic, circle 3. If you would like them to have "a little
more" information, circle 2, and if you would not like them to have any
information on the topic, please circle 1. Circle only me number for each
item.

A Great Much A little None

Deal More More More at all
Love 4 3 2 1
Achieving independence 4 3 2 1
Self-esteem 4 3 2 1
Decision making skills 4 3 2 1
Femininity 4 3 2 1
Masculinity 4 3 2 1
Dealing with peer pressure 4 3 2 1
Emotional needs during adolescence 4 3 2 1
Defining sexuality 4 3 2 1
Religious values 4 3 2 1
Responsibility & concern for others 4 3 2 1
Communication with parents 4 3 2 1
Becoming comfortable with the opposite sex 4 3 2 1
Dating 4 3 2 1
Premarital Sex 4 3 2 1
Sexual attraction ' 4 3 2 1
Value and role of the family 4 3 2 1
Romantic relationships 4 3 2 1
Understanding yourself 4 3 2 1
Divorce (why it occurs) 4 3 2 1

Homosexuality 4 3 2 1

1 O4
AGreat Much A little None

Deal More More More at all
Sex in the media (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, etc.) 4 3 2 1
The male body 4 3 2 1
The female body 4 3 2 1
Sexual Intercourse 4 8 2 1
Birth process 4 3 2 1
Sterilization 4 3 2 1
Abortion 4 3 2 1
Sex role stereotyping 4 3 2 1
Avoiding premarital sex 4 3 2 1
Teen pregnancy 4 3 2 1
Birth control 4 3 2 1
Preparing for marriage 4 3 2 1
Preparing for parenting 4 3 2 1
Physical changes during adolescence 4 3 2 1
Menstruation 4 3 2 1
Vaginal discharge 4 3 2 1
Erection 4 3 2 1
Ejaculation of sperm 4 3 2 1
Wet dreams 4 3 2 1
Masturbation 4 3 2 1
Pornography 4 3 2 1
Sexually transmitted diseases 4 3 2 1
Rape 4 3 2 1

Child molesting 4 3 2 1

105

Please list or describe any other topics you may want to include in a
sexuality education program that is NOT listed above.

 

 

 

PART II
From what source does your teenager receive his/her sexuality education?
[ ] Mother [ ] Friends [ ] Church
[ ] Father [ ] Other Adults [ ] School
[ ] Brother & Sisters [ 1 Books, Magazines, Movies [ ] Other (1-2)
From what source do you want your teenager to receive his/her sexuality education?
[ ] Mother [ ] Friends [ ] Church
[ ] Father [ ] Other Adults [ ] School
[ ] Brother & Sisters [ ] Books, Magazines, Movies [ ] Other (1-2)
How often do you discuss sex and sexuality with your teenager?
[ ] Very often (4) [ ] Seldom (2)
j ] Often (3) [ ] Never (1)

How often would you like to discuss sex and sexuality with your teenager?

[ ]Very often (4) j ] Seldom (2)
[]Often (3) [] Never (1)

How comfortable do you feel when you discuss sexuality with your teenager?

[ ] Very comfortable (4) [ ] Uncomfortable (2)
[ ] Comfortable (3) [ ] Very uncomfortable (1)

How important would you say sexuality education is for your teenager?

[ ] Very important (4) [ ] Unimportant (2)
[ j Important (3) [ ] Very unimportant (1)

How much do you feel you know about sex and sexuality?

[]Alot (5) ll Very little (2)
[ ] Quiteabit (4) [ ] Nothing at all (1)
l 1 Some (3)

How much more information would you need to be the primary source of sexuality
information for your teenager?

[ ] Alot (5) [ ] Very little (2)
[ ] Quiteabit (4) [ ] None (1)
l 1 Some (3)

106

Would you want additional knowledge to become the primary source of sexuality
information for your teenager?

[]Yes(2) [lNO(1)

Would you be willing to attend a class which will help you be the primary source of
sexuality information for your teenager?

[]YeS(2) []NO(1)
How often do you feel sexuality education should be offered?

[ ] Less than onceaweek (1) [ ] Two daysaweek (3) [ ] Five days aweek(5)
[ ] Onceaweek (2) [ ] Threedaysaweek (4)

How long do you feel sexuality education should last?

[ ] Less than6weeks (1) [ ] 3—6 months (4)
] 6-9 weeks (2) [ ] 7—12 months (5)
[ ] 10-12 weeks (3) [ ] More than 1 year (6)

At what age should a child begin learning about sexuality?

[]5 -6yearsold (1) []9 -10yearsold (3)
[ ]7- 8years old (2) [ ] 10 years old and older (4)

PART III

Please answer all of the following questions. Place a checkmark in the
appropriate box where needed.

What is your present age? __ What is your current marital status?

Never married ( 1
Currently Married (2
Separated/Divorced (3
Widowed (4

What is your gender?

[] Male (2)
[] Female (1)

,__.,__‘,_,_.
\—l|—l|—a\_¢

107

 

What is your ethnic background? What is your present family income?
[ ] African American (Black) (6) [ ] Under $5,000 (1)

[ ] Anglo American (White) (5) [ ] $5,000 - $9,999 (2)

[ ] Mexican American (4) I I$10,000 - $14,999 (3)

[ ] Puerto Rican (3) [ ]$15,000 - $19,999 (4)

[ ] Native American (2) [ ]$20,000 - $24,999 (5)

[ ] Other (1) [ ]$25,000 - $29,000 (6)

* l ] $30,000 or more (7)

How much formal education have you had?

[ ] 8th grade or less ( 1 ) [ ] Some college (4 )
[ ] Some high school (2) [ ] Undergraduate degree (5 )
[ ] High School graduate (3) [ ] Graduate degree ( 6 )
How many children do you have? (00)
How many children do you have between the ages of 11 and 16? (0)
Are you a member of the King's Chapel Assembly?
[ I Yes (2) l I No ( 1 )

How long have you been attending the King's Chapel Assembly?

[ ] less than 1 year (1) [ ] between 6 to 10 years (3) [ ] I don't attend at all (5)
[ ] between 1 to 5 years(2) [ ] more than 10 years (4)

THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY.

PLEASE LOOK IT OVER TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NOT SKIPPED
ANY QUESTIONS. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS, PLACE THE
SURVEY IN THE ENVELOPE BELOW AND SEAL IT.

ONCE YOU HAVE SEALED YOUR SURVEY WITHIN THE ENVELOPE,
PLACE IT IN THE STAMPED, ADDRESSED RETURN ENVELOPE.
ENCLOSE YOUR TEENAGER(S)' SEALED ENVELOPES WHICH
CONTAINS THEIR SURVEYS IN THE SAME RETURN ENVELOPE.
PLEASE DO NOT REVIEW OR LOOK AT THEIR SURVEYS. ONCE
YOU HAVE COLLECTED EACH OF THE SURVEYS AND PLACED
THEM IN THE RETURN ENVELOPE, MAIL IT TO US.

MICHIGAN STATE IV

2gll IISIII HIIIIIIIIIIII