INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF PREMARITAL SEX ON SECONDARY SCHOOL GIRLS AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
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INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF PREMARITAL SEX ON SECONDARY SCHOOL GIRLS AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
ABSTRACT
The study focusses on the causes of premarital sex among secondary school girls in Kogi State’s Yagba East Local Government Area, as well as its impact on academic achievement. One hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed to female students at various schools. The data were analysed and the following findings were discovered:
Participation in Sex Education was at a low stage; dropout cases were paramount in that vicinity; there is a high rate of Media Exposure; Poverty level is also a causative factor; Peer Group Influence/Imitation;
Single Parenting has its own implications; Home Environmental Factor; Early Marriage; Teenage Pregnancy; reading about Contraceptives as well as Watching/Reading Pornographic Films/Magazines has The following recommendations were made:
Parents, teachers, guardians, religious leaders, counsellors, and the government should all discourage premarital sex among teenagers and schoolgirls. Parents/Guardians and the government should raise awareness about the high risks associated with premarital sex, such as sexually transmitted diseases, early marriage, single parenting, academic failure (drop out), and many other negative consequences of premarital sex on their lives and academic success.
Parents should dissuade their children from watching pornographic films or visiting pornographic websites, as well as reading pornographic periodicals or write-ups and family planning materials.
The government should offer appropriate facilities to educate a girl-child at an early point in life, emphasising Sex Education in their early secondary school years, and build an enabling environment that will better the young ones’ lives.
Empower religious leaders/institutions to motivate and distract children from such bad aspects of life. There should also be a proper service or facility that caters to broken homes, pregnant teenagers, single/separated parents, orphans, as well as proper adoption investigation and monitoring.
Chapter one
1.1 Background of the Study
Education, in its broadest sense, is a type of learning in which a group’s information, abilities, and habits are passed down from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or study.
Education is typically provided by others, although it can also be self-directed. Any encounter that has a formative impact on one’s thoughts, feelings, or actions can be deemed instructive.
Some governments recognise the right to an education. At the global level, Article 13 of the United Nations’ 1966 International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights acknowledges everyone’s right to an education.
Education is designed to assist people learn how to improve their existing skills. Sex education for school pupils should help them become better controllers of their sexual activities.
Schooling systems incorporate institutionalised teaching and learning in connection to a curriculum, which is developed to serve a specified goal for the schools in the system. Religious beliefs can also influence school systems, resulting in distinct curricula. (UNESCO, NYSC Anti-AIDS/HIV Awareness Programme, 2011 Handbook).
As an academic field, philosophy of education is defined as “the philosophical study of education and its problems, with education as its central subject matter and philosophical methods.” “The philosophy of education can refer to either the process of education or the discipline of education.
That is, it may be part of the discipline in the sense that it is concerned with the purposes, forms, techniques, or outcomes of the process of learning or being educated; or it may be metadisciplinary in the sense that it is concerned with the discipline’s conceptions, aims, and procedures.”
Premarital sex is sexual activity that occurs before a marriage. People in today’s society either accept or reject the teaching that premarital sex is wrong. Premarital sex is a huge problem in today’s society, with astonishing statistics.
In Yagba East Local Government Area, ninety-three percent of men and eighty percent of women (aged eighteen to fifty-four) have lost their virginity. Most teenagers do not wait until they marry to have sex, despite the fact that the nation’s growth and advancement are entirely dependent on them.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are rapidly rising among teenagers, accounting for the sixth greatest cause of death. It has also resulted in a high proportion of secondary school dropouts due to a lack of academic achievement.
Teenage pregnancy, early marriage, single parenting, home or environmental problems, and inadequate sex education have all prevented many people from achieving their scholastic goals and fulfilling their life goals.
It’s hard to believe that teenagers are still having premarital sex, while being aware of the terrible facts. According to the Demographic Health Survey 2012, 80% of women aged 15-19 interviewed are sexually active, 29% have had abortions, and 40% have reproductive infections after a medical examination.
Teens must open their minds to the negative impacts of premarital sex, even though many believe in the usage of contraceptives such as condoms and tablets. Safe sex is a deceptive contraception.
Despite the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, teens continue to engage in premarital sex. Contraception may merely reduce the likelihood of contracting illnesses and having an undesired pregnancy, which is not always reliable.
Many youths have become victims of some premarital problems, such as:
Contracting HIV/AIDS and other incurable STDs.
Untimely death.
Unwanted pregnancy and substance addiction.
Early Marriage
Single parenting
Teenage Pregnancy
School Dropout
Poor or lack of parental teaching on sex education.
Educational plans were hampered.
Emotional issues include depression and regrets
Abortion destroys reproductive organs and causes eventual infertility.
Home/Environmental Factors (Unhealthy Family Living Conditions).
Poverty and Drug Addiction.
Despite all of the issues caused by premarital sex, the anti-sex campaign has yet to acquire widespread societal support in Africa. In order to address some of the problems, the researcher believes it is vital to explore the causes of premarital sex among girls in secondary schools in Yagba East L.G.A., Kogi State.
The physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of premarital sex cannot be overstated. According to data, one-quarter of patients with STDs are adolescents who contracted the disease through premarital intercourse.
Causes of AIDS among teens have increased by 62 percent in the last two years, and the number of youths with AIDS doubles each year. According to Santrock (1996), premarital sex is one of the reasons why AIDS is the sixth highest cause of death among young people aged 15 to 25 years.
The rate at which students in Yagba East L.G.A of Kogi State are falling victim to premarital sex, as well as the prevalence of STDs and HIV/AIDS among underage or unmarried moms in society today, is concerning. It has become critical for the government and all Nigerians to seek solutions to the reasons of premarital sex among secondary school girls.
Premarital sex does not have a significant impact on academic achievement; but, its ramifications are likely to. Missing school days owing to pregnancy or doctor’s appointments due to caught diseases will undoubtedly impair a student’s performance.
The student’s maternity status also has significant weight. There is a significant distinction between two older students in a committed relationship having responsible sex and two irresponsible students having promiscuous sex.
The effect of premarital sex on academic achievement is too ambiguous because it varies from student to student and depends on how those students deal with sexual activity.
I’ve met married friends who were sexually active in high school and excelled academically. I also know students who got pregnant in high school and dropped out.
If you are allowed to choose your report topic, I would suggest altering it to “The Effects of Premarital Sex on Teenagers’ Academic Performance.” That would allow me to speak confidently about pregnancy and STDs.
Teenage pregnancy has an influence on both boys and girls, resulting in the following:
Depression and sadness.
Low self-esteem and stigmatisation.
Dropping out of education inevitably leads to poverty.
The risk of developing STIs and HIV.
Worrying may cause you to fail your exam.
Too young to be a father or mother and accept responsibilities.
Due to the girl’s frail body, labour may be impeded, and both the infant and the mother may die.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The problem that has spurred this research stems from premarital sex, which has a number of undesirable consequences such as early marriage or single parenthood, both of which are becoming increasingly common among young schoolgirls.
This has also prompted the researcher to investigate the subject of single parenting, which is creating disruption to the sacred family structure and society at large. This should be looked into for the child’s academic and psychological stability in today’s world.
It is unclear whether parents and teachers conveyed any knowledge about sex education before pupils reached adolescence. Inadequate understanding of the necessity of sex education may have an impact on an ordinary adolescent’s ideas, attitudes, and standard of living.
Lack of good sex education has caused numerous problems; therefore, it is critical for the researcher to conduct this study, with a focus on Yagba East L.G.A in Kogi State.
1.3 The Purpose of Study
The primary goal of this study is to look into the causes of premarital sex among girls in secondary schools, as well as the role of parents, counsellors, teachers, and the government in educating students to wait until they are emotionally, physically, socially, and financially ready before engaging in sex with the right partner.
The following are the study’s precise aims.
Problems leading to premarital sex.
Causes of Teen Pregnancy.
The student’s home environment.
The effects of early marriage.
Causes of Single Parenting.
Discover what parents and teenagers understand about Sex Education.
Find out if Sex Education is taught in school.
The primary causes or problems associated with female secondary school dropouts.
Dropouts cause problems for society.
Determine the extent to which it may impair their academic performance.
Determine what steps the government and non-governmental organisations have taken to address the issue.
Make meaningful and required suggestions to decrease problems to a bare minimum.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
For extensive research, the following questions were asked:
What are some possible causes of premarital sex?
What are the negative consequences for the youngster academically?
Is poverty a major cause of premarital sex among female secondary school students?
What is the impact of early marriage on the female child?
Do parents understand what sex education entails and how to influence their children about its value, both positively and negatively?
What level of sex education is taught in schools and at home?
Is the current expansion of visual internet and satellites the leading cause of premarital sex among secondary school girls?
Is premarital counselling effective at reducing premarital sex among secondary school girls?
What is the impact of the home environment on the academic success of secondary school students?
What steps are being taken by the government and non-governmental organisations to remove or lessen the issue of premarital sex urge and its impact on children’s academic performance?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The hypothesis is based on the information and data gathered through the research questions.
A poor home environment encourages premarital sex and has a negative impact on academic performance.
Premarital sex at the expense of education occurs when a family is poor or huge in size.
Single parenting is also associated with more premarital sex.
Their desire for money and consumerism is another aspect.
The proliferation of pornographic Internet sites, films, and materials encourages some schoolgirls to engage in premarital sex.
Western education has led to a disregard for cultural conventions.
Broken Homes has a high rate of premarital sex.
The desire to belong to a peer group influences rampart participation in premarital sex.
In Kogi State’s Yagba East L.G.A., parental attitudes towards sex education and teaching are not encouraging.
The attitude of government and non-government organisations towards a better life is not promising.
1.6 The Significance of the Study
When the research is completed, the girls and their parents will benefit greatly. The study will, among other things, provide some stunning findings about the repercussions of premarital sex among teenage females in secondary schools.
The study will also make a significant contribution to raising awareness and educating the nation about the dangers of premarital sex and how to prevent it.
The findings will be critical for policymakers at the Ministry of Education and Women Affairs, secondary school counsellors, church leaders, parents, and school teachers.
The importance of sex education is mostly a positive influence in life. The youth would be taught to appreciate what is good, fine, and healthy about sex. They must grasp how their sexual powers can be used to offer them fulfilment and joy.
Parents should realise that sex education is not to be abused or exploited; they should also understand that its power can have both positive and negative consequences, but the primary emphasis should be on human nature as a positive force.
Finally, the study is intended to stimulate more research; it will provide parents, particularly mothers, with the opportunity to learn about and recognise the importance of discouraging premarital sex among young people.
1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study
The investigation was conducted in chosen secondary schools within the Local Government Area’s political wards. Though the research focusses on the causes, impact, and solutions to the premarital sex problem among secondary school girls, Yagba East limits the generalisability of the findings.
The researcher relies primarily on questionnaire responses and personnel experiences. The researcher faced some obstacles as a result of:
(i) Time: The constraint during the research process was due to ongoing lectures, which impacted his attention to work.
(ii) Source of Information: Because most people prefer to keep their identities disguised, there are no procedures to assess the veracity of the interviews and questionnaires administered.
(iii) Financial Constraints: Finance is one of the aspects that aid the acquisition of knowledge in various endeavours. However, financing was not readily accessible to ensure the smooth operation of the research.
1.8 Definition of Operational Terms.
Premarital Sex is the act of engaging in sexual intercourse prior to marriage.
STDs are Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
HIV: Human Immune Deficiency Virus.
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Crises are stressful situations that approach or exceed the adaptive capacities of an individual or group of individuals.
Abortion is defined as the use of a medication or physical extraction to end a foetus. In most circumstances, it has an impact on one’s health, work, and social life.
substance addiction is defined as the continued use of a substance notwithstanding a physician’s prescription, resulting in physiological dependence and a propensity to use the drug.
Peer Group: This is a group of people who share the same age or social standing.
Dropout: Someone who leaves school or college before completing their education due to a defect or reason other than death or transfer.
A graduate is someone who has successfully completed a degree or programme at a university or college and has earned a certificate proving it.
Sex is a bodily activity that allows humans to reproduce young.
Early marriage is the formation of a family or institution at a young age. That is, the individual must be under the age of 25 years.
Teenage pregnancy occurs when a youngster between the ages of thirteen (13) and nineteen (19) years becomes pregnant.
Sex instruction: This includes instruction in schools or at home about sexual behaviour, sexual relationships, and its good and negative effects on life.
Home Environment: this is also known as the house, town, or community/country where someone now resides or was born, and it is frequently used to emphasise that they have a sense of belonging there.
Single Parent: Someone who raises a child or children on his or her alone since the other parent is no longer living with them due to death, divorce, separation, or other reasons.
Broken Home: A family that has been separated, divorced, or lost a loved one.
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