Background: The purpose of the study was to (1) examine attitudes of adolescents toward peer models having sex or choosing abstinence, and (2) determine whether a "double standard" in perception existed concerning adolescent abstinence and sexual behavior. Methods: Adolescents (N = 173) completed questionnaires that included 1 of 6…

Background: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the "Yes You Can!" ("YYC") curriculum on sexual knowledge and behavioral intent of program participants. Methods: Participants included students ages 10-14 from schools in a northeast US urban area. "Yes You Can!" program lessons were designed to…

To improve the quality of research and commentary concerning adolescent sexuality and evaluation of both comprehensive sexuality education and abstinence education programs, this article aims to help readers (1) select appropriate measures to study adolescent sexual behavior, (2) develop appropriate study designs to evaluate adolescent sexual…

Background: "Hooking up" behaviors, or sexual activities without commitment or emotional attachment, are occurring among college students. Purpose: This study examined the relationship between hooking up and two measures of religiosity. Methods: Data was obtained from students at a mid-southern university (n=459). Results: Most respondents…

There has long been controversy in this country about the implementation of school-based sexuality education. In recent years, however, the controversy has centered on abstinence education. Critics of abstinence education programs seem to have three major concerns relative to abstinence education programming: (1) promotion of religion; (2)…

Investigated how state coordinators of abstinence education programs defined "sexual activity." Researchers surveyed Title V abstinence education coordinators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories. Of the 17 coordinators providing at least partial responses, none reported having a definition of sexual…

The article examines the results from an 18-month follow-up evaluation of an abstinence education curriculum series. Participants were students from 15 school districts recruited to participate in the project. The intervention was the Sex Can Wait curriculum series, consisting of upper elementary, middle school, and high school components. The…

Role playing situations in which the tracing of sexual contacts, advising a sexual contact to be examined for a venereal disease, and reducing the risk of contracting a venereal disease raise specific questions which can be answered in class. Three specific situations are provided which demonstrate how best to handle sensitive problems. (JN)

Examined the effect of the "Sex Can Wait" curriculum series on students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexuality. Surveys of students in intervention schools and schools with traditional sex-education programs indicated that at the elementary and middle school level, the intervention program produced greater gains, but in high…

Examined the effects of an abstinence education curriculum on outcomes among upper elementary, junior high, and senior high school students. Surveys of intervention and comparison students indicated that the curriculum had positively influenced knowledge, self-efficacy, and outlook (but not attitudes) among elementary students. There were no…

A survey questionnaire sent to 371 public school superintendents in Arkansas sought to identify schools offering a program of family life/sex education. An attempt was also made to determine if schools which offered such programs could be distinguished from those that did not, based on responses of school officials to a set of attitudinal…

Evaluated the effectiveness of an upper elementary, abstinence-based, sexuality education curriculum on students' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to sexuality. Pre- and postintervention surveys of students in intervention and control groups indicated that intervention students had higher scores on knowledge and life skills and reported…

A study (telephone survey), assessing community support for school family life education programs, had two purposes: (1) to determine acceptability of school sex education programs to residents of northwest Arkansas; and (2) to identify factors related to an individual's acceptance or nonacceptance of such programs. Telephone interviews with 119…

This curriculum, directed primarily to students in grades five and six, is a 5-week sexuality education program designed to promote sexual abstinence as the best decision young people can make for themselves. The guide is divided into three general areas of emphasis: Knowing Myself, Reltating to Others, and Planning My Future. These sections are…