An Exploratory Study on the Sex Education Experiences of Undergraduate Students: Variations, Preferences, and Impact.
Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
45
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Erin Mauck
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Community and Behavioral Health
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Health
Abstract or Artist's Statement
In the United States, the type and amount of sex education that adolescents receive can vary significantly between states, counties, and even households. In Tennessee, sex education in public school systems is complex, involving the state and county, and stresses abstinence-only education. Sex education can come in different forms and include different curricula. It can be comprehensive, abstinence-only, or nonexistent, and can come from a variety of sources, some more accurate than others. This study surveyed undergraduate students at East Tennessee State University to learn more about their sex education experiences including what kind of sex education they received as adolescents, what sources they received sex were education from, which sources they preferred, and what sources they did not prefer. In addition, this study explored whether certain sex education resources had a positive or negative impact on students. Data were collected through a quantitative survey distributed to students in two different classes. One in the College of Arts and Sciences and one in the College of Public Health. A total of 114 students completed the survey, 24% identified as male and 76% identified as female. Results showed that 72.8% of participants who received sex education in a school setting were satisfied with their sex education. However, 45.4% of participants reported that they would prefer their main source of sex education to be their parents, as compared to 14.8% that preferred school. Data analysis also found that source of sex education that had the most negative impact was the media, with 42.1% of participants indicating that the media negatively impacted their sex education as adolescents. The results from this exploratory study highlight the need for further studies to gain more insight into what source of sex education are most beneficial to safe sex practices. This could impact the way sex education is taught in schools, by parental figures, and through other sources with the goal of ultimately increasing the safe sex practices and knowledge that students will carry with them as adolescents and into adulthood.
An Exploratory Study on the Sex Education Experiences of Undergraduate Students: Variations, Preferences, and Impact.
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
In the United States, the type and amount of sex education that adolescents receive can vary significantly between states, counties, and even households. In Tennessee, sex education in public school systems is complex, involving the state and county, and stresses abstinence-only education. Sex education can come in different forms and include different curricula. It can be comprehensive, abstinence-only, or nonexistent, and can come from a variety of sources, some more accurate than others. This study surveyed undergraduate students at East Tennessee State University to learn more about their sex education experiences including what kind of sex education they received as adolescents, what sources they received sex were education from, which sources they preferred, and what sources they did not prefer. In addition, this study explored whether certain sex education resources had a positive or negative impact on students. Data were collected through a quantitative survey distributed to students in two different classes. One in the College of Arts and Sciences and one in the College of Public Health. A total of 114 students completed the survey, 24% identified as male and 76% identified as female. Results showed that 72.8% of participants who received sex education in a school setting were satisfied with their sex education. However, 45.4% of participants reported that they would prefer their main source of sex education to be their parents, as compared to 14.8% that preferred school. Data analysis also found that source of sex education that had the most negative impact was the media, with 42.1% of participants indicating that the media negatively impacted their sex education as adolescents. The results from this exploratory study highlight the need for further studies to gain more insight into what source of sex education are most beneficial to safe sex practices. This could impact the way sex education is taught in schools, by parental figures, and through other sources with the goal of ultimately increasing the safe sex practices and knowledge that students will carry with them as adolescents and into adulthood.