WHITLOWE R. GREEN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Doctoral Proposal Defense Announcement
An Examination of the Impact of Instructional Leadership and Sex Education Curriculum on the
Abstinence Patterns of Middle School Students.
(April 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.
The United States has seen a decline in teen birth rates between 1991 and 2008 (The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2011 and the Center for Disease
Control, 2011), but rates are still higher than other developed countries. It is possible for the
U.S. to reduce teen pregnancy rates with comprehensive sex education school communities by
using comprehensive sex education as one component that encourages teens to make the right
decisions in risky situations. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
(2011) states that if the nation wants to continue to make progress in preventing too-early
pregnancies and parenthood, complacency must be resisted.
I explore two theories that aid in the understanding of behaviors associated with
environments and the ability to think beyond the immediate. The first theory, Social Cognitive
Theory (SCT), explores the cognitive aspect of teens’ thinking and actions associated with the
environment in which they live in (Hawley, 1999). The second theory, The Theory of Avoiding
Risk Exposure by Seeing Beyond the Immediate, suggests that teaching teens how to think
beyond their immediate matters aid in better decision making processes regarding risky sexual
behaviors (Weiss, 2010). By considering the key tenets of the Theory of Avoiding Risk
Exposure by Seeing Beyond the Immediate (Weiss, 2010) and Social Cognitive Theory (Hawley,
1999), we can better understand that when teens only focus on immediate pleasures and
circumstances they fail to acknowledge future consequences of risky behaviors and they make
choices that have long-term negative consequences that may continue into their adult lives.
The purpose of this phenomenological case study is to examine students’ perceptions of
the impact of sex education programs on the sexual behaviors of middle school students in areas
of a metropolitan suburban school district in a southwestern state with teen birth rates higher
than the national average. Furthermore, the secondary purpose of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness and instructional leadership in implementing sex education curricula in suburban
schools.
The guiding research questions undergirding this study are as follows:
1. What are students’ perceptions of the content and instructional strategies offered in
courses with sex education topics in middle 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?
This research employs a phenomenological case study approach to add understanding and
insight into the behaviors and attitudes of this phenomenon. This type of approach involves the
gathering of information and perceptions through qualitative methods such as interviews and
surveys as expressed from the perspective of the participants. This approach allows for
understanding of subjective experiences, provides insights into people’s motivations and actions,
and diminishes taken-for-granted assumptions (Lester, 1999). In this phenomenological case
study, I explore the experiences of the participants through interviews conducted with a focus
group and surveys.
The study samples for my research are student focus groups and administrators from a
suburban middle school. The selection site was chosen because it is located within a zip code
that has the second greatest teen birth rates per 1000 females ages 15 to 19 within the selected
independent school district. The middle school has a total of 1,470 students in grades six
through eight. Of the total students, 13.2% are African American, 72% are Hispanic, and 6.8%
are White. It is located in a suburban area, and has a student population that is 80.5%
economically disadvantaged with 55.5% of its students labeled At Risk. Additionally, 4% of its
students have disciplinary placements, and 12.8% are Limited English Proficient (LEP) students
(Texas Education Agency, 2012).
This qualitative study uses purposeful sampling. The middle school was also selected
because it feeds into a high school that has a large population of teen birth rates, and it is located
within a suburban school district that has teen birth rates higher than national birth rates. As of
2011, the selected independent school district has 37 per 1000 teen birth rates compared to the
national 31 per 1000. Additionally, this independent school district’s teen birth rates have
remained higher than the United States’ teen birth rates since 2008 (The University of Texas
Prevention Research Center, 2014).
A focus group from the selection site is comprised of male and female students in grades
six, seven, and eight. The size of the focus group ranges from 6-10 students and include
participants of various ethnicities. Students are required to be enrolled as a student at the
selection site in order to participate in the study.
In addition to student participants being selected for this study, purposeful sampling
elicits administrators from the selection site for purposes of this research. On site, there are a
total of 16 personnel that are in site council leadership roles: one principal; three assistant
principals; three counselors; one director of instruction; five instructional specialists, two
academic achievement specialists, and one nurse.
I developed two instruments for this study based on the literature regarding qualitative
research; the first instrument has two parts. The first part is the survey. In this stage, students’
demographic information and attitudes toward sex education and teen pregnancy are collected as
data. This information is crucial to the study because it identifies the relationship between
students and their perceptions of teenage sexual behaviors and attitudes and their backgrounds
with sex education. The second part of my first instrument is the focus group discussion
questions. During this stage, I interview the focus group using open-ended questions that
facilitate the data collection of each participant. The instrument as a whole provides useful
information to the explored phenomenon of this study that provides educators and communities
an in-depth understanding of its problem.
I developed the second instrument for the administrative team members only.
Administrative participants will complete the survey via email using SurveyMonkey. This
survey is designed to examine the impact leadership has on the design and implementation of sex
education curriculum in middle schools. This information is vital in ascertaining the roles
leadership has in the effective implementation of a sex education program for students in grades
six, seven, and eight.
References
Hawley, P. H. (1999). The ontogenesis of social dominance: a strategy-based evolutionary
perspective. Developmental Review, (19), 97-132. Retrieved from
http://www.idealibrary.com
Lester, S. (1999). An introduction to phenomenological research. Stan Lester Developments,
Taunton, 1-4.
Texas Education Agency. (2012). Academic excellence indicator system (AEIS) campus report
2011-2012. Retrieved from
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2012/campus.srch.html
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org
The University of Texas Prevention Research Center at the University of Texas School of Public
Health (2014). Retrieved from https://sph.uth.edu/tprc/texas-teen-birth-rate-maps-21
Weiss, J. A. (2010). Preventing teen pregnancy by avoiding risk exposure. American Journal of
Health Studies, 25(4), 202-210. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.pvamu.edu
Date: April 8, 2015
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Department: Educational Leadership and Counseling
Location/Room: Delco 240
Dissertation Chairs: Lisa Hobson, Ph.D.
Laxley Rodney, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee Members: Angela Branch-Vital, Ph.D
Alex Colvin, Ph.D.
Abul Pitre, Ph.D.
Revised: May 14, 2012