Teachers and students’ perceptions of the influence of sexuality education on students’ sexual behaviour in public day secondary schools in Masaba South Sub County, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

The need for information on sexuality becomes even more pertinent in a rapidly changing world where globalization and technological advancements expose children to a wide range of influences. Despite the provision of sexuality education, Masaba South Sub County public secondary schools have been experiencing high girls’ dropout rate due to teenage pregnancy, abortion-related mortalities and sexual health complications. The purpose of the study was to establish the teachers and students’ perceptions of the influence of sexuality education on the students’ behaviour in public secondary schools in Masaba South Sub County, Kisii County, Kenya. The study was premised on Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and adopted descriptive survey research design. Fifty principals, 50 guidance and counseling teachers, and 50 chairpersons of the student councils from 50 day public schools were targeted. Census sampling technique was used to sample all the 50 guidance and counseling teachers. Through simple random sampling 30.0 % of principals and 30.0 % chairpersons of the student councils were sampled. Data were collected through guidance and counselling teachers’ questionnaires, principals’ interview schedules and students’ focus group discussions. Content and construct types of validity were ascertained through scrutiny by the two supervisors assigned to the researcher. The reliability of the teachers’ questionnaire was ascertained by test-retest technique. Both descriptive and inferential data were used to analyze the data. Qualitative data were put into broad themes for interpretation. However, some qualitative data were used verbatim to maintain the power of the participants’ spoken words. The study found that the adolescence and sexual development education offered in schools was inadequate to cater for the physical and psychology challenges faced by the public day secondary students in Masaba South Sub County in Kisii County. Students, principals, and G&C teachers acknowledged that unlike in the past, the information on transmission and prevention of HIV and other STIs seem to have become less persuasive to both students and teachers in avoiding risky sexual behaviours. The study findings may assist in bridging the gap between the theory, practice and the outcome of human sexuality education.