Sex Education and Its Effects to Junior and Senior High School Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

It has been widely reported in research and by the media that the number of teens getting pregnant are getting higher each year. Related literature and studies suggest that one of the reasons why the numbers are increasing is the lack of knowledge on sex. In the Philippines, sex education has been integrated to different subjects in the K-12 curriculum. This study aimed to identify the perspective on sex education and its effects on students, determine the importance of sex education in the locale of the study, and to provide recommendations to make it more vital. This study is very timely and necessary because of the striking number of teens getting pregnant, engaging in pre-marital sex, and suffering from major sex-related issues.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted on 12 junior and 6 senior high school students of Gallanosa National High School through purposeful sampling. Data were collected through in-depth unstructured interviews, and valid reliable survey questionnaires consisting of three sections: the awareness of students on sex education, importance of sex education, and recommendations on how to make sex education more vital. Collected data were analyzed using discourse analysis.

RESULTS

Many respondents agreed that they appreciate sex education because it was introduced to them, but still disappointed on how it was carried out. Results showed that most of the students are aware of sex education, but they do not find it vital. They are also not satisfied with the current status of teaching sex education and its content because it is very limited. Most of the respondents said that they learned most of their sex education from their peers, not from the school or teachers. Moreover, most of the students did not learn enough from sex education that will help them in avoiding untoward problems and incidents involving sex and sex-related issues.

DISCUSSIONS

The findings indicated that students' awareness on sex education is still lacking. It is also necessary to do certain actions to make sex education vital in schools to ensure lower rates of teens suffering from major sex-related issues. The results demonstrated a need to reform the current sex education curricula and to make it as a separate subject rather than incorporating it with other major subjects to ensure focused learning. Moreover, providing more trainings on teachers to enrich the kind of education they give about sex and other sex-related topics is highly suggested.