A Study to Determine the Effects of a College Human Sexuality Course Upon Student Sex Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Selected Sexual Topics
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF PETER JAN VENNEWITZ for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Name of student) (Degree) in EDUCATION presented on December 19, 1974 (Major department) (Date) Title: A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF A COLLEGE HUMAN SEXUALITY COURSE UPON STUDENT SEX KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SELECTED SEXUAL TOPICS Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved: (Dr. Geald Becker) The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of a college human sexuality course upon sex knowledge, attitudes toward sexual behaviors of non-significant others, and attitudes toward the sexual behaviors of self and spouse.In addition, the study sought to investigate the relationship between knowledge gain and attitude change, and the relationship between attitude changes involving the sexual behaviors of non-significant others and attitude changes toward the sexual behavior of self and spouse. The primary source of data was a knowledge and attitude instrument developed by the author.The "Premarital Sexual Permis- siveness Scale" by Reiss also was used. The participants in the research completed the instruments at the beginning and end of spring term 1972. The experimental group consisted of 167 students of all academic classes enrolled in the course "Human Sexuality." The control group was made up of 89 students who had signed up for the course but been denied admission because of limitations on enrollment. The basic data analyses were made with one-way analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and t-tests.Chi square, Pearson product-moment correlation, and a multivariate analysis technique involving an extension of Hotellings T2also were used.In the data analyses experimental males, experimental females, and control males, and control females were considered separately. The following conclusions were drawn from the results of this study: 1.Males and females differed significantly on several demographic variables, many sexual experience variables, and all of the pretest attitude measures, but did not differ significantly on the pretest measure of knowledge. 2.Peripheral attitude change was related to one demographic and two sexual history variables for experimental females and two variables for experimental males. 3.Knowledge gain was related to one demographic and one sexual history variable for experimental females and was unrelated to any variables for experimental males. 4.Experimental males and females showed significantly greater knowledge gain than control males and females. 5.Experimental males and females became significantly more liberal on attitudes toward sexual behaviors of non-significant others than control males and females. 6.Significant liberalization in attitudes toward behaviors of non-significant others was observed in experimental males and females for some topics, e. g. homosexual relations, mutual masturbation, and oral-genital contacts, but not for others, e.g. premarital intercourse and cohabitation. 7.Experimental females more often than experimental males exhibited significant changes in attitudes toward a variety of sexual behaviors involving non significant others. 8.Experimental males and females did not change significantly more than control males and females from pretest to posttest on the "Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale." 9.Significant pretest differences between experimental males and females and between control males and females on the "Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale" remained upon posttesting. 10.As measured by the summary scores the experimental males and females did not change significantly more than control males and females from pretest to posttest on attitudes toward sexual behaviors of self and spouse. 11.On specific areas of sexual behavior involving the self or spouse, e. g. nudity and mutual masturbation, the experimental males and females became significantly more liberal than the control males and females. 12.Experimental females exhibited more significant changes in attitudes toward sexual behaviors of self and spouse than did experimental males. 13.There was no correlation between knowledge change and any measure of attitude change. 14.The correlation between change on central attitudes involving the self and spouse and peripheral attitudes involving non significant others was positive and significantly different from zero correlation, but not large enough to predict change in one type of attitude from observations of change in the other type. A Study to Determine the Effects of a College Human Sexuality Course upon Student Sex Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Selected Sexual Topics by Peter Jan Vennewitz A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 1975 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Profess6r cIf Education in charge of major Redacted for Privacy Dean, -SChool ofEsluction Redacted for Privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is presented/ /7/97 Typed by Ilene Anderton and Lynda lu Sikes for Peter J. Vennewitz ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Deep thanks are extended to Dr. Gerald Becker for his continued encouragement throughout the development of this study and special assistance and constructive criticism during the latter stages of the program culminating in this paper. Special thanks are also extended to Dr. Arthur Tollefson for his encouragement, constructive criticism, and guidance through the years of coursework, writing proposals, and preliminary examina- tions. The author also wishes to thank the members of his graduate committee for their support, assistance, and constructive criticism: Dr. Jo Anne J. Trow, Dr. Raymond S. Sanders, Dr. James Firth, Dr. G. Ross Heath, and Dr. Harland Padfield. Also due special thanks are: Dr. Donald E. Campbell, who gave invaluable advice during many hours of discussions about experimental design and statistical analysis problems; Mrs. Leah Miller Clarke and Dr. J. Richard Connelly, who assisted and facilitated the research project, and evaluated the first draft of the questionnaire used in the research; Theresa Chenowith, who did much of the legwork involved in the actual data collection process; Mr. Frederick Bidgood, who made an exceptionally thorough and valuable analysis of the first draft of the questionnaire used in the study; Dr. Roy A. Foster, Dr. Mark J. Wagener, Mrs. Georgene Thompson, and Dr. Lester A. Kirkendall, who also evaluated the first draft of the questionnaire; Mr. Lunda Ngoie, who gave much appreciated assistance with the data analysis; Mrs. Ilene Anderton and Mrs. Lynda lu Sikes, patient and skillful typists whose long hours of work transformed this thesis into its final form; Gene Monroe, Troy Milam, and Herm Forslund, who gave assistance at crucial junctures; Dr. Barbara Barnum, who offered many helpful criticisms of chapter one and much appreciated advice and encouragement; My parents-in-law, Cal and Beth Monroe, who contributed encouragement and comfortable working space, and also completed the paperwork so that I might spend Christmas with my wife; My parents, Morry and Kareen Vennewitz, who gave me such a good start in life and have always encouraged my educational endeavors; My wife, Kathy, who did whatever I asked of her and waited so patiently for the completion of this thesis and ordeal; The author would also like to thank the Family Life Department of Oregon State University, and its Chairman, Dr. J. Philip O'Neill, for the financial assistance provided. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION 1 The Need for Human Sexuality Education in Colleges and Universities 1 The Need for Research on the Effects of Human Sexuality Education Upon Central Sexual Attitudes 33 Purpose of the Study 35 Importance of the Study 35 Hypotheses 38 Limitations of the Study 40 Definitions 47 Basic Assumptions 49 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The Concept of Attitude and Attitude Change Theories 52 Theoretical Background and Research Involving the Centrality of Attitudes 58 Evaluations of Sex Knowledge and Attitude Change Resulting from Exposure to Educational Experiences 88 III. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 111 Selection of Student Groups 111 The Experimental Treatment 112 Sources of Data 112 The Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale 113 The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Survey: De scription 117 The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Survey: Development 121 The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Survey: Reliability and Validity Data 125 Collection of the Data 130 Data Processing 136 Analysis of the Data 137 IV. RESULTS 143 Chapter Page V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 190 Summary 190 Discussion of Results 192 Conclusions 203 Educational Implications 205 Recommendations 212 BIBLIOGRAPHY 214 APPENDICES 239 A. Human Sexuality Course Syllabus 239 B. Human Sexuality Course Information Sheet 240 C. Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale 243 D. Sex Knowledge and Attitude Survey 246 E. Follow-up Questions 269 F. Letter to Control Group: First Pretest Mailing 271 G. Letter to Control Group: Second Pretest Mailing 273 H. Letter to Control Group: First Posttest Mailing 275 I. Letter to Control Group: Second Posttest Mailing 277 J. Comparison of group means on pretest administration of Part IIIA questions. 278 K. Comparison of group means on pretest administration of Part IIIB questions. 279 L. Comparison of group means on pretest administration of Part IVA questions. 281 M. Comparison of group means on pretest administration of Part IVB questions. 282 N. Comparison of group means on pretest administration of Part V