Abstinence Education Case Study

Many teenagers and adolescents have been given false information or hold fabricated beliefs concerning teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Because teenagers are misguided and hold false convictions about teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, they are more likely to make undesirable choices that may negatively influence their futures. If they are educated properly, teenagers could live a productive and healthy life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), “teenagers between the ages of 15-24 represent almost half of the 20 million sexually transmitted diseases and cases that occur yearly“. Gillette (2012) asserts, “United States has the highest teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease cases” compared to other industrialized countries.

Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are social-ills that plaque this Southwest Georgia community.

The school is located in South Georgia. The South Georgia middle school has over 700 students in grades 6-8 and ranging in age from 11-16. The school is a Title I funded school. Abstinence education is important to reducing teen pregnancy, preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and improving emotional and physical well-being among the nation’s adolescents. Abstinence education programs have repeatedly been shown to be successful in reducing sexual activity among those who have participated in these programs.

Problem Statement

The problem is teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are epidemics that plaque this Southwest Georgia rural city. Georgia is ranked eighth out of 51 states and the District of Columbia on 2010 final teen birth rates among females aged 15-19 with one representing the highest rate and 51 representing the lowest rate (Martin, Hamilton, Ventura, Osterman, Wilson, & Mathews, 2012).

Research Questions

The fundamental research questions to be investigated in this research study are as

follows:
1. To what extent will the target students be more knowledgeable in the area of sexually
transmitted diseases after the implementation of the Making a Difference! Curriculum when measured by a pretest and a posttest?
2. To what extent will the target students be more knowledgeable in how to prevent
unwanted teen pregnancy after the implementation of the Making a Difference! Curriculum when measured by a pretest and a posttest?
3. What are the students’ attitudes and perceptions concerning Making a Difference! sex education program when measured on a follow up survey after the implementation of the curriculum?
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to expand the knowledge of middle school students in grades 6-8 in an effort to improve their decision-making skills through an abstinence based sex education program. The primary emphasis is geared towards the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. This study warrants research because presently more than 1.2 million teenagers become pregnant in the United States each year. One fourth of sexually active teens will become infected with some type of STD before they reach the age of 18. Most teenagers are unaware of very important facts relating to teenage pregnancies and the widespread epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, not making them knowledgeable enough to make healthy decisions in regards to their bodies. An abstinence-based program will prove to be instrumental in the reduction of sexual activity among teenagers. This type of program will provide information that will decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies and increase the knowledge that will lead to better decision-making skills.