A descriptive analysis of senior high school students' levels of knowledge, awareness, and perceptions on sex education and its link to their sex assigned at birth in Calamba City, Laguna

Date

6-2023

Academic Strand

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Strand

Adviser

Lea C. Garcia

Principal

Mabel S. Buela

Abstract

The Philippines is regarded with an alarmingly high rate of teenage pregnancy. Factors for the high number of teenage pregnancies include reduced access to information and contraceptives and the lack of a Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) in the country. Research findings also depict an association between educational attainment and adolescents who have already begun childbearing. Hence, these findings were used as bases to assess the levels of knowledge, awareness, and perceptions (KAP) of senior high school students in Calamba, Laguna, a city in the Philippines possessing high teenage pregnancy rates. This study also identified whether students’ sex assigned at birth are associated with their KAP levels on sex education. In total, 305 senior high school students were surveyed face-to-face in an institution in Calamba City. A standardized questionnaire consisting of three parts: Knowledge, which assesses students’ levels of knowledge on Reproduction, Contraception, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Awareness, which measures their degree of acceptability, and Perceptions, which analyzes students’ views and openness regarding the subject matter, were distributed. As a quantitative research, statistical descriptive analysis was employed to summarize individual variables into percentages and frequencies. In general, the study depicted that there is no significant correlation between the students’ sex assigned at birth with their KAP levels. The study revealed that the senior high school students studying in the chosen institution generally have an intermediate to high KAP levels, despite Calamba being one of the cities in Laguna with the most number of registered live births to adolescent mothers. Hence, it is recommended that other factors that affect high teenage birth rates such as economic status should be explored in further studies. This study also suggests a conduct of a qualitative study for a deeper approach and extensive investigation on students' views, openness, and acceptability on sex education.

Language

English

LC Subject

Capstone

Location

University of the Philippines Rural High School

Document Type

Capstone

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