The impact of three variations of a family life education (FLE) program for 172 inner-city, junior-high-level students was investigated. Variations in exposure time, instructional methods, and teacher quality led to the classification of each intervention on a general intensity dimension. Separate pretest-posttest nonequivalent comparison group designs were utilized to assess pro gram impact along seven knowledge and attitudinal dimensions. Survey results revealed that, in comparison to no-treatment groups, the more intensive the program (a) the greater the gains in knowledge about reproductive physiology, contraception, and the consequences of teen pregnancy and parenthood (especially among experimental group females); and (b) the more birth control methods participants became familiar with over time. Changes in personal accep tance of premarital intercourse and perceived responsibility for contraception were observed only in the study examining the most intensive treatment. The results of the evaluations point to the combined importance of instructional methods, teacher quality, and in-class exposure time for producing change in young adolescents' knowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality. Further potential for the impact of school-based sex education programs on knowledge and attitudes is discussed within the broader context of the young adolescent's social environment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Moore K., Burt M.: Private crisis, public cost: Policy perspectives on teenage childbearing. Washington, D.C., The Urban Institute Press, 1982.
2.
Moore K: [Number of births to teens in 100 large cities, U.S., 1980]. Unpublished data, Washington, D.C., The Urban Institute, 1983.
3.
Reis J.: Teenage pregnancy and teenage parenthood in Illinois: Estimated 1979-1983 costs. J Adolescent Health Care, in press.
4.
Forrest J.: The impact of U.S. family planning programs on births, abortions, and miscarrages, 1970-1979. Social Sci Med18:461-465, 1984.
5.
Forrest J., Hermalin A., Henshaw S.: The impact of family planning clinic programs on adolescent pregnancy. Fam Plan Perspec13:109-116, 1981.
6.
Moore K., Wertheimer A.: Teenage childbearing and welfare: Preventive and ameliorative strategies. Fam Plan Perspec16:285-289, 1984.
7.
Chamie M., Henshaw S.: The costs and benefits of government expenditures for family planning programs . Fam Plan Perspec13:117-124, 1981.
8.
Dryfoos J.: School-based health clinics: A new approach to preventing adolescent pregnancy ? Fam Plan Perspec17:70-82, 1985.
9.
Eisen M., Zellman G., McAlister A.: A health belief model approach to adolescents' fertility control: Some pilot program findings. Health Ed Quar12:185-210, 1985.
10.
Kirby D.: The effects of school sex education programs: A review of the literature. J School Health50:559-563, 1980.
11.
Parcel G., Luttman D.: Evaluation in sex education: Evaluation research for sex education applied to program planning. J School Health51:278-281, 1981.
12.
Zelnik M., Kim Y.: Sex education and its association with teenage sexual activity, pregnancy and contraceptive use. Fam Plan Perspec14:117-126, 1982.
13.
Cooper L.: The Effectiveness of Family Life Education Programs in 12 California School Districts. Santa Cruz, CA, Network Publications, 1982.
14.
Kirby D.: Sexuality Education: An Evaluation of Programs and Their Effects—An Executive Summary. Santa Cruz, CA, Network Publications, 1984.
15.
Reis J., St. Clair R.: A case study of public/private planning for maternal and child health in the city of Chicago. Fam Commun Health8:18-28, 1986.
16.
Bureau of Science and Office of Pupil Personnel Services, Chicago Board of Education, personal communication, 1984; Office of Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Chicago, personal communication, 1984.
17.
Reis J., Herz E., Slager S.: Family life education in Chicago schools: A study of programs implemented by nonschool agencies. Adolescence, in press.
Dunn R.Dunn K.: Practical Approaches to Individualized Instruction. West Nyack, NY: Parker Publishing Company, Inc., 1972.
20.
Wilson P., Kirby D.: Sexuality Education: A Curriculum for Adolescents. Santa Cruz, CA: Network Publications, 1984.
21.
Wagman E., Cooper L., Todd K.: Family Life Education: Teacher Training Manual. Santa Cruz, CA: Network Publications, 1981.
22.
Cooper L.: The Selection and Preparation of Family Life Educators: A Review of the Literature . Santa Cruz, CA: Network Publications , 1982.
23.
"Ten of Poorest U.S. Communities in CHA projects, Study Shows ," Chicago Tribune, May 1, 1984.
24.
Chicago Health Systems Agency, personal communication, 1984.
25.
Gilligan C., Kohlberg L., Lerner J., Belensky M.: Moral reasoning about sexual dilemmas: The development of an interview and scoring system. The Commission on Obscenity and Pornography Technical Reports (Vol. I), Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970.
26.
Kirby D., Alter J., Baxter S.: Questionnaires for the Development and Evaluation of Sex Education Programs . Bethesda, Maryland, Mathtech, Inc., 1981.
27.
Morris and Udry, personal communication, 1982; Parcel, personal communication, 1982; Scales, personal communication, 1982; Zelnik and Kantner, personal communication, 1982.
28.
Cook T., Campbell D.: Quasi-experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1979.
29.
Judd C., Kenny D.: Estimating the Effects of Social Interventions. Cambridge, Mass., Cambridge University Press, 1981.
30.
Whiting B., Whiting J.: Children of Six Cultures: A Psychocultural Analysis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975 .
31.
Munroe R., Munroe RH, Whiting J.: Male sex role resolutions. In The Handbook of Cross-Cultural Human Development, RH Munroe, R Munroe, and B Whiting (eds.), New York: Garland Press, 1981, 611-632.
32.
Promoting Health. Preventing Disease: Objectives for the Nation . Department of Health and Human Services, 1980.
33.
Fishbein M. , Jaccard J.: Theoretical and methodological considerations in the prediction of family planning intentions and behavior. Representative Res Soc Psychol4:37-51, 1973.
34.
Werner P.: Implications of attitude-behavior studies for population research and action . Stud Fam Plan8:294-299, 1977.
35.
Fishbein M., Ajzen I.: Belief. Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research . Reading, MA, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1975.
36.
Davidson A. , Jaccard J.: Population psychology: A new look at an old problem. J Personality Soc Psychol31:1073-1082, 1975.
37.
Jaccard J.Davidson A.: Toward an understanding of family planning behaviors: An initial investigation . J Appl Soc Psychol2:228-235. 1972.
38.
Werner P., Middlestadt S.: Factors in the use of oral contraceptives by young women. J Appl Soc Psychol9:537-547, 1979.
39.
Cohen J., Severy L., Ahtola O.: An extended expectancy-value approach to contraceptive alternatives. J Population1:22-41, 1978.
40.
Herz E.: Young adult women's contraceptive decisions: A comparison of two predictive models of choice (unpublished dissertation). Chicago, IL , Loyola University of Chicago, 1983.
41.
"Children having children: Teen pregnancy in America,"Time, December 9, 1985, pg. 82.
42.
Benson M., Perlman C., Sciarra J.: Sex education in the inner city: Learning and retention. JAMA255:43-47, 1986.
43.
Jones E., Forrest J., Goldman N., et al: Teenage pregnancy in developed countries: Determinants and policy implications. Fam Plan Perspec17:58-63, 1985.
