CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN EDO STATE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools in Oredo, Edo state. The study’s entire population is 200 secondary school teachers from Oredo local government in Edo state. The researcher collected data using questionnaires as the instrument.
This study used a descriptive survey research approach. The survey included 133 respondents who were made principals, vice principals, administration, senior staff, and junior employees. The acquired data was organized into tables and evaluated using simple percentages and frequencies.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The study’s context
The study investigates the causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in order to create effective solutions. The term “teenage pregnancy” cannot be addressed further without a quick explanation of what it means. Teenage pregnancy occurs when a teenage or underage female aged 13 to 19 becomes pregnant as a result of unprotected sexual intercourse.
It can also be interpreted as the pregnancy of a young girl aged 13 to 19, who is not married. Every year, thousands of teenagers become pregnant, posing a significant risk to themselves, their children, and society. While the facts are obvious, the challenges surrounding adolescent pregnancy are exacerbated by our contradictory attitudes and behaviors. The negative effects of early delivery on underprivileged teenagers are apparent.
Trying to separate the variables that contribute to adolescent pregnancy from the outcomes raises the question, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” (Florida Statutes. Education, general provisions, and definitions. Florida State Board of Education, Tallahassee, FL, 1995). It has been stated that educational failure is a negative result of teenagers falling pregnant and having children at a young age.
But how can teenagers avoid being pregnant when sex dominates the media, younger and younger girls are depicted as sex objects, and sex is exploited to sell everything from products to news? Nonetheless, we are surprised by the growing number of sexually active teenagers.
If we are truly concerned about the welfare of babies, children, and adolescents, we must move beyond the moral panic and denial that so frequently distort the discussion in order to design an effective solution to these economic assumptions, wishful thinking, and honest acknowledgement that the causes of this problem are still unknown. The following are some of the causes of adolescent pregnancy:
Early pregnancy is regarded as a blessing and indication of a young woman’s fertility in some cultures.
In terms of adolescent sexual behavior, 29 percent of kids said they felt pressured to have sex, while 33 percent said they didn’t want to do it.
Teenage pregnancy is also caused by a lack of understanding about contraception or access to it, as well as fear and humiliation about seeking information about contraception.
Another factor is sexual abuse, which has been linked to 11-20% of adolescent pregnancy as a direct result of rape, and 60% of teenage moms had inappropriate sexual experiences prior to becoming pregnant.
Before the age of 15, the majority of girls’ first intercourse experiences are claimed to be nonvoluntary, and 25% of women who did not give birth as teenagers were molested.
Other elements that contribute to this problem include age differences in relationships, dating, aggression, social economic problems, poverty, childhood environment, greed, peer pressure, and so on.
Because of the established unfavorable impacts and causes on perinatal outcomes and long-term morbidity, teen pregnancy has become a public health issue. However, the association of young maternal age is frequently complicated by the high frequency of poverty, poor level of education, which is our main focus, and single marital status among teenage moms.
This study examines the independent influence of adolescent pregnancy on educational difficulties and challenges in a large number of children and teenagers who are moms. According to Angola, G. “Dilemma of African Child” the spokes man newspaper and publishing cooperative, 1973), he stated that adolescence is a significant developmental stage in a female’s life, spanning from pre-puberty to young adulthood. Girls (teens) have inquisitive minds and desire to learn and be taught the proper attitude (s) (Margaret, O.
Childhood and adolescent studies for effective teaching, revised edition, 1999). According to reports, the global rate of adolescent pregnancy ranges from 143 per 1000 in some nations. In industrialized countries, it is frequently outside of marriage and has a social shame in many groups and cultures; for these reasons, many research have been conducted to identify the causes and reduce the frequency of teen pregnancies.
Teenage pregnancy is a social concern in Nigeria, according to data that includes low educational levels, increased rates of poverty, and other bad life outcomes. In some parts of the country, adolescent pregnancy occurs inside marriage and is not stigmatized by peers.
Being a young mother in a developing country such as ours can have an impact on one’s education. Prior to becoming pregnant, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school. Marriage and education are two factors that affect which mother is likely to have a closely spaced reported birth; the likelihood reduces with the young woman’s or her parents’ degree of education and increases if she marries.
These factors also add to the risk of adolescent pregnancy; for example, recent research indicate that the majority of adolescent moms had already dropped out of school before becoming pregnant. To summarize, information is power, so let us save our future by being sensible and pursuing and achieving success through education.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
With our society’s developments, Teenagers who are encouraged to be deemed innocent now engage in sexual acts similar to adults. Unfortunately, the outcome is now a concern for herself, her parents, society, and even the unborn kid. The following are the study’s problems:
– Does adolescent pregnancy lead to school dropout and pose a socioeconomic risk?
– Are youngsters still too hesitant and afraid to seek information about contraception?
– Do teenage mothers still perceive the value in furthering their education?
– Do parents and teachers fail to motivate and advise their children?
THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE
The study’s aims are as follows:
To allow for the advancement of female educational attainment in society.
To inform teenage moms about the benefits of continuing their education after giving birth.
To create work chances for women with an active attitude.
To investigate the reasons of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools in Edo state’s Oredo local government.
To investigate the link between adolescent pregnancy and academic achievement in secondary schools.
1.4 HYPPOTHESES FOR RESEARCH
The researcher developed the following research hypotheses in order to successfully complete the study:
H0: There are no reasons of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools in Edo state’s Oredo local government.
H1: the reasons of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools in Edo state’s Oredo local government
H02: There is no link between adolescent pregnancy and secondary school academic achievement.
H2: There is a link between adolescent pregnancy and secondary school academic achievement.
THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
This study will aid in educating the following individuals/groups on the repercussions of early pregnancy, educational attainment, and the considerable negative emotional and social effects of sexual behaviors leading to teenage pregnancy.
– Future mothers who wish to enjoy their family as a result of this study would abstain from sex in order to avoid ruining their future.
– Parents of these teenagers would benefit from avoiding humiliation or criticism from their peers.
– The society will also benefit because the society will be made up of planned offspring who are needed and will lower population.
– School officials would have more kids to educate with fervor and sincerity.
– Teenagers would avoid undesired pregnancy, STDs, and disgrace, as well as secure their future.
– The next generation and their unborn children would be born into a planned, structured, and prepared environment.
THE STUDY’S SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
The study’s scope includes the causes and effects of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools in Edo state’s Oredo local government region. The researcher comes upon a constraint that limits the scope of the investigation;
a) RESEARCH MATERIAL AVAILABILITY: The researcher’s research material is insufficient, restricting the scope of the investigation.
b) TIME: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
c) Organizational privacy: Limited access to the selected auditing company makes obtaining all necessary and required information about the operations challenging.
1.7 TERM DEFINITION
The following are the definitions of special terminology used in the context of this research:
Teenage years range from 13 to 19.
Peers: Individuals who are equivalent in position, age, status, or merit.
Fertility: The state or condition of being fertile, or the ability to bear children.
Pregnancy: The condition or duration of being pregnant (having baby developing in the womb).
Insertion of a man’s penis into a woman’s vagina for sexual intercourse.
Sexual abuse is defined as the inappropriate use of sex by a stronger person on a weaker one.
Thins that are the outcome or effect of something else.
Contraception refers to both natural and artificial methods of avoiding pregnancy.
1.8 THE STUDY’S ORGANIZATION
This research paper is divided into five chapters for easy comprehension.
The first chapter is concerned with the introduction, which includes the (overview of the study), historical background, problem statement, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms, and historical background of the study.
The second chapter emphasizes the theoretical framework on which the study is based, as well as a survey of related literature. The third chapter discusses the study’s research strategy and methodology. The fourth chapter focuses on data gathering, analysis, and presenting of findings. The study’s summary, conclusion, and suggestions are presented in Chapter 5.
Do You Have New or Fresh Topic? Send Us Your Topic
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN EDO STATE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT