SEXUALITY AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

Sexuality is part of man’s everyday life and is the very essence of his humanity that encompasses his physical attributes, self-image, his/hers view of what is feminine or masculine. As such, it impacts and influences the actions of the human race which is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practice, role and relationships. This study focuses on the sexuality and educational achievements of students in secondary schools taking a case study of public secondary schools in Rivers State. The research was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. A sample size of 400 students comprising 200 female and 200 male students selected through stratified random sampling from a population of 99,840 students in public secondary school in Rivers State. A 15- itemed questionnaire tagged "Sexuality and Educational Attainment of Students Questionnaire" (SEAAQ) was employed for data collation. Validity and reliability was established by experts and the reliability index coefficient of 0.81 obtained through the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistics. For the purpose of the research, the research question was analyzed employing mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance employing re-test. The study established amongst others that; insecurity regarding sexual orientation, risky sexual attitudes, premarital sexual activities impact the educational attainment of students negatively. it was therefore recommended that parents should instill moral values on their children at home, encourage their children to discuss sexuality and sexual activities with them, counseling should be made available for students to allow them express themselves better.