RESEARCH TITLE: Attitude of Senior High School Students in Top Universities towards Premarital Sex

INTRODUCTION

Changes are dramatically happening in the Philippines and Filipinos are losing some of their known
culture and traditions. Filipinos before were known to be conservative and find sex-related topics
inappropriate to talk about. But in this generation, Filipinos became more liberated and open to express
themselves with regards to the ideas of sex-related topics and this includes premarital sex.

Sensitivity is a necessity in making decisions during this modern era. This makes the person think
of the consequences of certain actions. Sometimes the decision of a person needs validation from other
people before they make it. To engage and not to engage in premarital sex is one of the decisions the youth
of today gives extreme thought due to its impact on a person's life in the future. Premarital sex is the act of
having sexual intercourse between couples before marriage, and this is overheard by people from teenagers.
This act is considered to be a social issue in the Philippines because of our conservative culture, religious
beliefs in our region (e.g. Christianity and Islam), and due to its effect on adolescent pregnancy rate and
population growth rate.

Premarital sex has been prominent in the past years. Its fast-paced growth and effects are
alarming not only on the image of the Philippines but more importantly, its youth. A third of the teen’s
population ages 15-19 have engaged in premarital sex, approximately 32% of the 10.2 million Filipino
teenagers of that age. (Perez, 2017; as cited in Agency, 2017) Teens involved in these social cases are
vulnerable to various demoralizing effects like teenage pregnancy. While teenage pregnancy in most
countries is declining, numbers are rising in the Philippines. One out of ten women age 15-19 is already a
mother or pregnant with her first child. According to reports, about 500 Filipino teenagers become
mothers every day. That will be about 182,500 teenage mothers per year. As the age increases, the
percentage of birth rate also increases, which is normal, but the said ages are excessively young to give
birth especially at the age of 15 which lacks experience and capability of raising a child. Also, teenage
pregnancy is more prominent in rural areas and provinces. People who are not or not that educated also
have higher risks of pregnancy rate than those who have attained higher education. (Recide, 2014)

Teenagers in this generation are vulnerable to premarital sex. This is due to the influence of modern
technology or media and the changing social norms on the acceptance of premarital sex. Today, it is evident
that premarital sex has become an “ordinary” activity of adolescents in newer generations and there are
several factors besides youth’s curiosity that prompt them to engage in premarital sex. According to
Ajiboye, Aina, Oyebanji & Awoniyi (2014), family structure is associated with premarital sex in our
country; that is when you are raised by a single parent, you are more susceptible to engage in premarital
sex than those that have both parents. To simplify it, one’s family background is a factor in the engagement
in premarital sex. Another factor is the insufficient sex education in our country that usually leads to youth’s
self-exploration. Other factors associated with premarital sex include peer pressure, cultural influence, lack
of guidance, poor school discipline, religious teachings, and accessibility of different types of media
(Kiragu & Zabin, 1993; Abraham & Kumar, 1999; Ajiboye, 2006; Adegoke, 2013).

In the context of present cultural beliefs, motifs, and social norms, senior high school students of various
top universities are less demur of the practice of premarital sex. The top universities in the Philippines are
Ateneo de Manila High School, De La Salle University, and University of Santo Tomas (UniRank, 2019);
University of the Philippines was excluded because it does not provide senior high school programs. Taking
into consideration youthful tendencies, and influences of a different social era that these students are
exposed to, students are more vulnerable to engage in premarital sex. Thus, this study aims to determine
the stance of these students on the concurrent issue of premarital sex. It also aims to obtain information on
how to better improve sex education in the Philippines. It purposes to see if the correlation of religion,
gender, and family orientation with attitudes of senior high school students of these universities towards
premarital sex.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teenage pregnancy has been a serious problem in the Philippines. This drastically affects our
problem of over population and degrades our economy. Psychological damages are also evident in today’s
youth. Depression, confusion and regret are some of these psychological damages. Teenagers are the
leading participants in this activity, making them vulnerable all the effects of premarital sex stated. Hence,
this study aims to assess the attitude of senior high school students from top universities on premarital sex.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the attitudes of Senior High School students in top
universities in the Philippines towards premarital sex to help in raising awareness and improving sex
education in our community.

Specifically, the study requires answers to the following questions:

 1. What are the reasons or sociological factors that affect the students’ attitude towards premarital
sex?
2. What factor had the most influence on the students’ attitudes towards premarital sex?
3. Do the participants’ attitudes towards premarital sex differ in terms of their grade level, age, and
sex?
4. What are the sources of information of the students about sexual activities?

TARGET PARTICIPANTS
The sampling method that will be used for this study will be a combination of purposive and quota
sampling. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the universities where the main participants will come
from. Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas, and De La Salle University were selected
due to their provision of quality education and their inclusion in the top 4 universities in the Philippines.
Quota sampling will be used as the sampling method for the main participants with a sample of 50 students
per university (a total of 150 students).

RESEARCH DESIGN
The research design selected for this study is non-experimental research design. The researchers
will collect the information through surveys and questionnaire that will be interpreted based on their
answers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A. Research Participants

The participants in the study will be selected from Grades 11 and 12 or Senior High School.
There will be a total of 50 respondents per university to be selected based on their availability.

B. Apparatus and/or Instruments

Survey and Questionnaire

The researchers will be using surveys and questionnaires to determine the respondent’s
background (sex, religion, and age). This information will be used to further understand the
participants’ attitudes toward premarital sex.

Likert Scale
 Likert scale will be used by the researchers to measure the attitude of the respondents
towards premarital sex through their understanding.

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

SPSS will be used in the reliability test of the questionnaire with Cronbach alpha and chi-
square for analysis of data.

D. Procedure

1. Formulation of Survey and Questionnaire

The researchers will create a survey to assess the respondents’ background and a
questionnaire (Likert scale) to assess their attitudes toward premarital sex. The questions will
be constructed by referencing from related studies. After formulating the content, the
researchers will produce forms containing the questions for a specific number of people
(respondents and research adviser).
2. Selection of Respondents
The researchers will use quota sampling as their sampling method. 50 senior high school
students per university will be chosen based on their availability and among these 50 students,
there will be 25 each for grades 11 and 12.
3. Reliability Test
Cronbach alpha will be used to test the reliability of the questionnaire that will be taken
from studies related to the topic
4. Validity Test
The questionnaire taken from the related studies will be modified and sent to the UP
Population Institute in order to check the validity of the questionnaire.
5. Collection and Analysis of Data
The questionnaire will be collected from the respondent prior to the given time. The data
collected will be organized and entered on a spreadsheet or Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS). Gender, age, grade level, sex and influencing factors will then be grouped in
contingency tables. Data will be analyzed using chi-square test at p < 0.05 level of significance
and odds ratio and relative risk in order to assess the relationship of the variables tested. The
data from the Likert scale will be tested using a cutoff (5 multiplied by the number of questions
in the Likert scale and then divided by two) will be used in order to determine whether their
 attitude is favorable or unfavorable. A score equal to or greater than the cutoff will indicate an
unfavorable attitude and a score less than the cutoff will indicate a favorable attitude.
DATA ANALYSIS
Chi-square test will be used to test the significant difference of the attitudes of the students towards
premarital sex in terms of their class level, exposure to common factors, sex and their age at p<0.05 level
of significance. Odd ratio will be used to test the independence of variables; with a value equal to one the
variables are neutral with each other, with a value less than one, the variables are negatively correlated, and
with a value more than 1 the variables are positively correlated. Relative risk will be used to compare the
likelihood of an event happening in one group (male or female) to that of another group (female or male),
with a value equal to 1, the events are neutral or the same, with a value of less than 1 the events are not
related, and with a value of greater than 1 the event of the group is more likely to happen to that of the other
group.