WHITLOWE R. GREEN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Doctoral Defense Announcement
An Examination of the Impact of Instructional Leadership and Sex Education Curriculum
on the Abstinence Patterns of K-12 Students.
(December 2015)
Brandian N. Ratcliff, B.S., William Carey University;
M.Ed., William Carey University
Chairs of Advisory Committee: Lisa D. Hobson, Ph.D. & Laxley Rodney, Ph.D.
Over a 17 year time span, the United States saw a decline in teen birth rates (The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2011 and The Center for Disease
Control, 2011), yet rates still remain higher than other developed countries. The United States
has continued to exceed the teen pregnancy rates of other industrialized countries by 2 to 15-fold
(Hillis, 2010). As a whole, teens who live in the United States have a greater risk for problems
associated with their sexual health (Widman, Choukas-Bradley, Helms, Golin, & Prinstein,
2014).
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine leaders’ and professionals’
perceptions of the impact of sex education curriculum on the behaviors of K-12 students in a
large metropolitan area of a southwestern state. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the
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effectiveness and instructional leadership in implementing sex education curricula in schools.
The guiding research questions that undergirded this study were as follows:
1. What are social service and community agency leaders’ and professionals’ perceptions of
the content and instructional strategies offered in courses with sex education topics in
schools?
2. What are the roles of instructional leaders in the development and implementation of
curricula that addresses sex education?
3. What are the environmental, community, and social characteristics prevalent in schools
that facilitate a culture where teenage girls are at higher risk to become pregnant?
4. What educational and counseling strategies are effective in preventing teenage
pregnancies?
Supporting the rationale for this study, this research allowed a better understanding of sex
education and teen pregnancy in relation to environments and perceptions from the personal
stories and experiences of the participants of the study. As an additional support tool, this study
provides effective intervention strategies for instructional leaders, policy makers, and school
health administrators for the development and implementation of programs and curricula for sex
education that is specific to and effective with the four themes that were disclosed: 1) evidence
and research based; 2) effective sex education; 3) environmental, community, and social
influences; and 4) resources and support.
In this study, I identified the absence of evidence-based, comprehensive sex education
curricula in elementary, middle, and high schools, and recognized the need for evidence-based,
comprehensive sex education programs or curricula in public schools. Likewise, findings from
my study revealed the ineffectiveness of implemented sex education curricula and how sex
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education leaders and professionals have a minimal to no impact on the implementation of sex
education curricula in schools.
I employed a qualitative method using the case study approach to add understanding and
insight into behaviors and attitudes. This type of approach provided an understanding of teens’
ability to make good choices in risky situations and an understanding of the environmental,
community, and social characteristics that facilitate a culture where teens are at a greater risk to
become pregnant than their counterparts. Health and sex educators were asked to reveal their
perceptions of teens and factors relating to their sexual behaviors and abstinence patterns. I used
a single approach of purposeful sampling to select the sample. I identified the sample size based
on the number of organizations elicited and the number of employees. I solicited participation in
the study from 67 leaders and employees working in ten different health, community, and
support organizations that service teen parents and local schools. I received responses from 47
participants with 22 completed responses. All data collected through participants’ responses
provided invaluable information in acknowledging the need for evidence-based, comprehensive
sex education programs and curricula.
I examined Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Weiss’s Theory of Avoiding Risk
Exposure by Seeing Beyond the Immediate as the conceptual framework to assist in the
understanding and exploring of the lived experiences of instructional leaders. Together, these
theories outlined the thought processes, actions, and environmental influences that impact teens’
abilities to make good decisions in risky situations.
Connecting Conceptual Framework and Study Findings
The Social Cognitive Theory explores how teens think and act, and The Theory of
Avoiding Risk Exposure by Seeing beyond the Immediate explores teens’ thoughts and actions
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in relation to how they consider their futures. Together, these theories offered insight into the
behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions of teens.
The Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the idea that behaviors are affected by
environments and different situational demands. This study focused on the concept of
symbolizing and forethought capability from the Social Cognitive Theory. Symbolizing and
forethought capability suggests people use symbols to represent their different encounters. Since
symbolizing allows forethought, it allows one to think about the future. Thus, this theory is in
harmony with research Question 1 and research Question 3 because it helps to explain
community agency professionals’ perceptions of the content and instructional strategies offered
in courses with topics of sex education.
The Theory of Avoiding Risk Exposure by Seeing beyond the Immediate is comprised of
two major components that aid in explaining why some teens become parents while others
graduate into adulthood without becoming parents. Living in risk-promoting environments is the
first component; seeing beyond the immediate is the second. Both components of this theory
provide a useful framework or guidance for the development of sex education programs and
curricula; and therefore, supports Question 2 and Question 4.
Results from this study showed that many health educators do not have a clear
understanding of their roles in the development and implementation of programs and curricula
that addresses sex education. According to the participants, many of the instructional leaders
responsible for the delivery of lessons and topics of sex education do not: play a major role in its
development; felt as though they did not have the proper resources and support to deliver
effective lessons and topics; and, most importantly, did not feel as though the educational and
counseling strategies currently in place, if any, were effective in preventing teenage pregnancies.
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As addressed in the literature review provided in this study, participants felt as though schools
need evidence-based, comprehensive sex education that does not focus solely on abstinence
and/or scaring tactics. Such programs and curricula will benefit teens tremendously because they
would learn how to make good choices in risky situations as well as understand how making
good and bad choices can impact their futures.
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References
Hillis, S., Anda, R., Dube, S., Felitti, V., Marchbanks, P., Macaluso, M., & Marks, J. (2010). The
Protective Effect of Family Strengths in Childhood against Adolescent Pregnancy and Its
Long-Term Psychosocial Consequences. The Permanente Journal, 14(3), 18-27.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org
Widman, L., Choukas-Bradley, S., Helms, S. W., Golin, C. E., & Prinstein, M. J. (2014). Sexual
communication between early adolescents and their dating partners, parents, and best
friends. Journal of Sex Research, 51 (7), 731-741. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2013.843148
Date: November 19, 2015
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Department: Educational Leadership and Counseling
Location/Room: Delco 217
Dissertation Chairs: Lisa Hobson, Ph.D., Chair
Laxley Rodney, Ph.D., Co-Chair
Dissertation Committee Members: Angela Branch-Vital, Ph.D
Alex Colvin, Ph.D.
Abul Pitre, Ph.D.
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