Report On The Teen-Aid Abstinence-Education Program

Ninth Year Evaluation

2002-2003

 Prepared For Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District

Drawer 990, Edinburg, Texas  78540-0990

Prepared by

Raja S. Tanas, Ph.D.

Department of Sociology

Whitworth College

Spokane, WA  99251-1105

e-mail: rtanas@whitworth.edu

(July 2003)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Nine years ago, Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District began an ambitious research project with the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of its family-life education program tailored to affirming and supporting teens in choosing abstinence. After nine years, the School District continues to improve on the program and develop the instrument to assess its effectiveness. The present report is based on data that were gathered during the 2002-2003 school year.

The report is based on 1,354 matched pretest and posttest responses gathered from seventh and ninth through twelfth grade students enrolled in eight schools within the school district. The study instrument was significantly modified to include federal performance measures and abstinence education content consistent with welfare reform requirements and funding. For a second year, the study participants responded to the instrument online that greatly contributed to obtaining high quality data.

The sample respondents were predominantly Hispanic and equally divided by gender. The one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was the method for research and the t-test for dependent samples was the statistical technique used for analysis.

It is no exaggeration to generalize that the results of the present evaluation are outstanding. This year’s data provided the clearest indication ever that the family-education program that draws significantly on Teen-Aid sex education curriculum has succeeded in significant ways to promote and affirm abstinence among teens. This generalization is primarily based on the finding that the program could move students towards a greater affirmation and commitment to abstinence on at least forty-five variables targeted by the program. The following is a list of the impacted variables that are arranged in the order they appeared on the survey.

After completing the program, students were more likely to agree that:

 · Use of condoms will not necessarily make sex safe

 · Condoms do not provide protection from emotional and social consequences of

   sexual activity

 · Abstinence is the only 100 percent effective protection from the possible

   physical, emotional, mental and social consequences of sexual activity

   before marriage

 · Abstinence is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy

 · Sexually transmitted diseases can cause infertility and cause cancer

 · Abstinence from all types of sexual activity is the best way to prevent the

   spread of HIV/AIDS

 · Abstinence is voluntary choosing not to engage in sexual activity until

   marriage

 · The only certain way for teens to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually

   transmitted diseases is to wait until they are married before having sex

 · A baby becomes a person, a human life, at conception

 · Choosing to avoid the use of drugs and alcohol can help a teen to save sex

   for marriage

 · Even if there is no pregnancy, having sex can cause a lot of problems for

   unmarried teens

 · It is important for sexually active teens to make a new decision and stop

   having sex

 · Teenagers can get a sexually transmitted disease (STD)

 · Abstaining from sexual activity until marriage will help teens accomplish

   their goals in life

 · It is normal for teens to have strong feelings and thoughts about sex but not

   OK for them to have sex

 · Their parents/guardians would want them to practice sexual abstinence until

   marriage

 · They are able to resist and control sexual urges

 · Having sex before marriage is against their religious and/or their personal

   beliefs

 · There are physical health advantages in waiting until marriage for sexual

   activity

 · They plan to wait until marriage to have sex

 · If a person tries to pressure them to have sex, they can say NO

 · They are encouraged by their friends to be sexually abstinent

 · Sexual activity has harmful emotional effects

 · They have a lot of respect for their parents’ ideas & opinions about sex

 · They will avoid situations that put them at risk of sexual advances

 · Sexual urges can be controlled

 · Having sex as young persons could mess up their future

 · They feel confident they can make a decision that is wise

 · They would not have sexual intercourse at any time before they get married

 · Drugs and alcohol use have effect on their ability to abstain from sex

 · That having sex as teenagers would make it harder for them to have a good

   marriage and family life in the future

 · There are many different ways to show they care about their boyfriend or

   girlfriend without being sexually active

 · It is important to talk with their parents/guardians about sex

 · They can go to their parents with questions about relationships and sex

 · Their life would be worse than now if they were to have a child while

   unmarried

 · Having sex or fathering a baby as teenagers can mess up their chances of

   being able to do things in the future, like going to homecoming, school

   activities, or going to college like other teens

 · They would not consider having a child before getting married

 · It is important to them to do what is right, even if they loose some

   friends

 · Sex among unmarried teens is wrong

 · Sex at their age is not a natural part of life

 · They would not have sexual intercourse during the next year even if someone

   tried to do so

 · Getting a sexually transmitted disease would significantly affect their

   future

 · They would not do things anyway with their friends for fear of being left

   out

 · No matter what their friends say or do they are the only persons responsible

   for their actions

 · Things that are beyond their control do not usually determine their life

The impact of the program was greater for junior high school students than for students in grades 9 through 12. The percentage of students who had premarital sex was significantly lower than the national average as well as the percentage reported in last year’s evaluation. The positive results of the present evaluation appear to be a function of the greater amount and depth of topics covered in the classroom. Alcohol consumption seems to be a big problem. The latter was a strong correlate to non-virginity status equally among males and females. Consistent with findings reported in past evaluations, school and teacher variability in degree of program effectiveness remain present.