FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS SEXUALITY EDUCATION FOR NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN IBADAN SOUTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OYO STATE

Abstract

Implementing sexuality education for primary school children in Nigeria has been challenging because of the cultural and religious sensitivity of the country to such issues. The focus of sexuality education has been on secondary school students. This makes it difficult for primary school teachers to adopt sexuality education as part of the curriculum. There is need to investigate attitude of teachers towards sexuality education especially in the study area where there is dearth of information regarding the subject matter. This study investigated the factors influencing the attitude of teachers towards sexuality education among primary school pupils in Ibadan South East Local Government Area, Ibadan Oyo state. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional design. A multistage sampling technique was employed and a sample of two hundred (200) teachers of primary school from Nursery one to Primary six participated in the study. A validated semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Knowledge was measured on a 12-point scale; score of < 4 was classified as poor, 4-8 as fair and >8 as good. Perception score was scaled 13-point scale; ≥7 for positive perception and <7 for negative perception. Attitude score was scaled between 13-point scale; ≥ 6 was assigned “positive attitude” and <6 as negative perception. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics test at p≤ 0.05. Respondents’ mean age was 36.3 11.5 years, majority (77.6%) of the respondents were female, majority (71.2%) were Christians and 72.7% were married. Mean knowledge score was 8.7±2.0. Respondent with poor, fair and good knowledge on sexuality education were 2.0%, 42.5% and 55.5% respectively. Majority (75.3%) correctly said sexuality education does not teach children on how to have sex. The mean perception score was 6.6±2.0; 30.5% of the respondent had a positive perception towards sexuality education among primary school pupils. Almost all (91.4%) of the respondents (91.4%) agreed with the statement that teaching sexuality education reduces the rate of child sexual abuse. The mean attitudinal score was 9.1±2.4; 87.0% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards sexuality education among primary school pupils. Some 43.0% said that they do not have the training required to teach sexuality education, Most (81.2%) said there was no reward for any teacher that teaches sexuality education for primary school pupils. Some 42.4% said sexuality education is not part of the curriculum. The ethgroup and the years of teaching practice of the respondents were found to be significantly associated with the respondents’ attitude of sexuality education to primary school pupils. The association between the knowledge and attitude scores of the respondents were found to be statistically significant (P=0.05). Lack of training, non- inclusion in the curriculum, and lack of reward were major factors influencing the attitude of teachers in teaching sexuality education for primary school pupils. Hence, there is a need to review the existing curriculum, organise training and provide specialised incentives for teachers in order to address the different factors influencing teachers’ attitude towards sexuality education to primary school children.