Abstract:
The problem. Does a relationship exist between
enrollment in sex education courses or programs and dropping out of school due to pregnancy?
Procedure. Public schools in Iowa were selected for the random sampling according to size as determined by average daily membership. A questionnaire devised by the investigator was sent to all schools in the sample. The
questionnaire was designed for the following purposes: (1) To determine if a sex education program was offered at each school; (2) To determine the total female membership ; (3) To determine the number of pregnant dropout students of each school during the 1973-1974 school year; and (4) To determine the percent of dropouts who had taken a sex education course at some time during the high school career. The information was analyzed to see if schools that offered sex
education had a lower dropout rate due to pregnancy.
Findings. It was found that the dropout rates for
females exposed to sex education was lower than those females who were not exposed to sex education.
Recommendations. It is recommended that all schools establish a sex education program to fit the needs of the specific students, school, and community.
