SEXUAL ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE: CHANGES FOLLOWING A HUMAN SEXUALITY UNIT AND VARIABLES RELATED TO THOSE CHANGES

JOHN CHARLES SHULTZ, Purdue University

Abstract

This study resulted from an awareness of several needs and dilemmas in the sexual adjustment of university students. Previous studies indicated that students who enroll in human sexuality courses/workshops are not necessarily a representative sample of the university population. The purpose of this study was to consider the effects of sexuality education on a broad sample of students and to consider several variables related to these effects. The final sample consisted of 151 students enrolled in undergraduate education and psychology courses. Following administration of the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT) to one experimental group and one control group, some eight doctoral and masters' level students conducted a three-hour human sexuality unit as a segment of a personal growth and development course. This study utilized a Solomon four-group design without randomization in order that pre-test sensitization as well as treatment effects could be examined. The sexuality unit was presented to 12 small groups numbering 10 to 20 in membership. The class sessions were moderately structured but also allowed for small group interaction. The essential elements of the human sexuality unit included a film, structured values exercises, small group discussion, and lectures by the instructors on various topics. Following the unit, the SKAT and the Personality Research Form (Form E) were administered to all subjects. A student evaluation questionnaire was also administered to the experimental groups. In addition, the instructors completed an instructor evaluation questionnaire. The resulting data were analyzed in terms of group equivalency, treatment effects, pre-test sensitization, predictor variables, and relationships between personality variables and sexuality variables. The results indicated some significant differences between the experimental and control groups; however, they did not appear to be strong or systematic. The treatment effects data indicated that the unit did not change significantly the students' sexual attitudes or knowledge. In addition, no significant difference was found between the groups that were pre-tested and those that were not pre-tested. In regard to predictor variables, several factors had an effect on post-test attitudes and knowledge. Individuals with low achievement scores and low affiliation scores tended to have conservative abortion scores when placed in groups where the instructor was high in sexual knowledge and accepting of sexual myths (r = .81, p = .000). Canonical correlations also revealed that a combination of acceptance of sexual myths and high autoeroticism scores was related to a profile of low endurance, low sentience, high succorance, and an instructor who accepted sexual myths (r = .79, p = .019). A number of variables including number of sexual partners, frequency of intercourse, PRF infrequency, PRF order, and PRF defendence were found to have predictive ability in regard to post-test sexual knowledge. Students expressed greater comfort in discussing sexual issues following the unit. These findings are tempered by the fact that low scores on the SKAT Knowledge Scale may have indicated a random response by many of the subjects. Also, the minimal exposure to treatment (three hours) and a possible lack of motivation on the part of the subjects may have confounded the results. Further research was considered justified and several recommendations for such efforts were proposed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Academic guidance counseling

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