Description |
It was the purpose of this study to discover and contrast the attitudes of teenagers and adults on various aspects of sex education as taught in the public schools of Salt Lake City, Utah. Both groups were compared, utilizing a fifteen-item questionnaire which was distributed through the Social Studies Department at Highland High School. A comparison of the two groups, based on their attitudes toward and about sex education, seemed to show that: 1. There is a significant difference between the attitudes of students and parents toward sex education as taught in the public high schools. This difference is at or beyond the .05 level. 2. There is no significant difference between adult occupational groups regarding their attitudes toward sex education as taught in high school. 3. No significant differences exist between parents of different ages in regard to their attitudes toward sex education as taught in the public high school. 4. While some differences are apparent between high school students of different ages toward sex education, there is not enough difference between them to be significant. It was suggested from this project that a similar study is needed at lower grade levels to determine attitudes toward sex education of younger students and their parents. Future studies should be made of other influential groups who are instrumental in influencing attitudinal changes in our society, e.g., legislators, health workers, school administrators, health teachers, religious leaders, and the medical profession. |