Evaluation Of The

Teen-Aid Abstinence-Education Program

“I’ve Got Connections”

2004-2005

Prepared For Teen-Aid, Inc.

723 E. Jackson Avenue, Spokane, WA 99207

Prepared by

Raja S. Tanas, Ph.D.

Department of Sociology

Whitworth College

Spokane, WA  99251-1105

e-mail:  rtanas@whitworth.edu

(July 2005)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report is based on student data to evaluate the effectiveness of I’ve Got Connections program in influencing teens to refrain from sexual activity until marriage. The program was sponsored by a federal grant under a Special Project with Regional and National Significance (SPRANS).

The required data were collected from more than two thousand students in grades seven through twelve. The students attended twenty-one schools in Washington, Montana, Utah, and California during the school year 2004-2005.

The I’ve Got Connections program utilized two sex-education curricula that Teen-Aid of Spokane, Washington, has developed with the goal of helping teens abstain from all forms of sexual activity until marriage. The two curricula are Me, My World, My Future and the Sexuality, Commitment and Family written for junior high and senior high school students, respectively.

This is the fourth year in a row that Teen-Aid has evaluated the degree to which the I’ve Got Connections program has impacted student knowledge, attitudes, values, norms, and future behavioral intentions relative to teen sex.

The data collection instrument was administered online. It consisted of ninety-seven items that included federal performance measures and abstinence education content consistent with the welfare reform requirements and funding. The online instrument was pre-tested during the 2001-2002 school year and became fully operational in the fall of 2002.

A profile of the study sample was based on the pretest data. The sample had a slight majority of females and white respondents. One in five students had premarital sexual intercourse. Their average age was 15 years.

The one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was the method of study. Successful matching of pretest and posttest responses resulted in a sample of 473 students. Frequency and contingency tables in addition to t-test for dependent and independent samples were the primary statistical techniques used for analysis.

The analysis indicated that the Teen-Aid program had commendable outcome. It impacted at least eighteen variables fundamental to teen abstinence. Specifically, after taking in the Teen-Aid program, the students were more likely to agree that:

  · Having sex before marriage was against their religious or personal beliefs

 · Things that were beyond their control did not necessarily determine

   their life

 · If a person tried to pressure them to have sex, they could say “no”

 · Choosing to avoid the use of drugs and alcohol could help them to save

   sex for marriage

 · It was important for them to do what was right, even if they lost some

   friends as a consequence

 · During the next year, it was less likely that someone might try to have sex

   with them

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

   marriage and family life in the future

  · Abstaining from sexual activity until marriage would help them accomplish

   their goals in life

 · A person who has been sexually active was able to choose abstinence for

   the future

 · Their parents or guardian would want them to practice sexual abstinence

   until marriage

 · A baby became a human life at conception

 · Abstinence was the only sure way to prevent a pregnancy

 · Condoms did not necessarily provide protection from emotional and social

   consequences of sexual activity

 · Sexually transmitted diseases could cause infertility and could cause

   cancer

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

   transmitted diseases was to wait until they were married to have sex

 · Abstinence was the only 100 percent effective protection from the

   possible physical, emotional, mental and social consequences of sexual

   activity before marriage

 · Use of drugs and alcohol affected their ability to abstain from sex

 · Even if there was no pregnancy, having sex could cause a lot of problems

   for unmarried teens

The sample was divided into sub-groups to examine the degree to which the program was effective for junior and senior high, male and female, white and non-white, virgin and non-virgin students. The results showed that the program had a varying degree of impact on these sub-groups.

The greatest degree of impact of the program was for junior high, female, virgin, white, non-white, and non-virgin students, respectively. The lowest degree of impact was for males and students in senior high school. Nonetheless, it is important to note that for the latter two groups, the program still impacted at least twelve and eleven variables, respectively, of the eighteen variables that were considered in the analysis.

The data also indicated that there was teacher variability in the degree of the program effectiveness. Not all teachers were equally effective in teaching the subject matter. The results underscored the need for a greater degree of consistency on the part of the teachers in implementing the program and for continued teacher training.

No gender or racial differences in virginity status were found suggesting a single standard governing sexual behavior among teens. However, senior high were more likely than junior high school students to have had premarital sex. While alcohol consumption and smoking were strong predictors of non-virginity status, alcohol consumption was a better predictor among both males and females. However, the incidence of premarital sex in this sample was lower than the national average.

For an all-inclusive assessment of the program next year, it is highly recommended to have a greater degree of cooperation between the Teen-Aid site coordinators and the teachers in order to ensure that all students who took the pretest would also take the posttest. This is a critical component for a more successful evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.