I need ideas on how to design an experiment whether having sex education classes makes it more likely that a person will use contraception.
Isn't it more fun to leave this to preachers, pundits, and politicians? I remember a Right Wing woman a few years ago arguing against sex ed, stating all that was needed was to teach kids to keep their hands out of others underpants.
Now, in the real world, it is difficult do design an experiment. Teen pregnancy rate has three variables: sex education, sex practices and frequency, and availability of contraceptive pills/devices. These three are the variables.
I know of no comprehensive study on these. Most focus on the teen pregnancy rate vs sex education. However, sex education could be anything, most school districts focus on "teaching" abstinence, which may (according to research) delay sex, but not prevent it. So even that measure misleading. Good luck.
The first step is to ascertain whether the sex education class promotes various forms of contraceptives. Some classes only teach abstinence.
After you've found classes that promote contraception, then determine how you're going to measure the students' future behavior.
You could poll people without children who have taken (and passed) one of these classes in the last 5 (10?) years. Only two questions are necessary. Do you ual intercourse? Do you use contraceptives? A third question could ask those who don't use contraceptives -- Why not?
Then you can poll people who have not taken a sex ed class that promotes contraceptive -- asking the same questions.
Many studies have been done in this area. In designing any experiment, you first need to review previous studies in the area to find out what variables are important and/or need to be controlled. Also you will get some ideas about how to contruct your experiment.
I searched Google under the key words "'sex education' contraception studies" to get these possible sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220231428.htm
http://www.epigee.org/birth-control_education.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstinence-only_sex_education
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/20/health/webmd/main3637820.shtml
http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2006/11/28/index.html
There are more studies out there.
I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.
To design an experiment to assess whether sex education classes increase the likelihood of using contraception, you can follow these steps:
1. Define your hypothesis: Start by stating your hypothesis. In this case, it could be something like "Attending sex education classes leads to a higher likelihood of using contraception."
2. Choose your study participants: Determine the target population you want to study, such as high school students, college students, or a particular demographic group. Consider factors like age, gender, and socioeconomic background that might impact the results.
3. Randomize and divide participants into groups: Once you have your participants, randomly assign them into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will receive sex education classes, while the control group will not. Random assignment helps ensure that any differences observed are due to the intervention (sex education classes) and not pre-existing differences between groups.
4. Develop or select a curriculum: Design or select a sex education curriculum suitable for your study. Ensure it covers relevant topics like contraceptive methods, safe sex practices, and the importance of using contraception.
5. Implement the intervention: Administer the sex education classes to the experimental group over a defined period, while the control group receives no interventions. Ensure all participants attend the assigned classes consistently.
6. Collect data: Design a survey or questionnaire that collects data related to contraceptive behavior. Include questions about knowledge of contraceptive methods, attitudes toward contraception, and actual usage. You might also gather data on demographics and previous knowledge of sex education.
7. Administer the survey: Distribute the survey to participants in both groups after completing the intervention. Ensure confidentiality, anonymity, and honest responses.
8. Analyze the results: Use statistical analysis to compare the responses between the experimental and control groups. Determine if attending sex education classes influenced contraceptive behavior or attitudes.
9. Draw conclusions: Based on the data analysis, assess the impact of sex education classes on contraception usage. Evaluate whether the results support or contradict the initial hypothesis.
10. Consider limitations and recommendations: Reflect on limitations of the study, such as sample size, potential biases, or external factors that might have influenced the results. Identify any areas for future research or improvements to the study design.
Remember that conducting experiments involving sex education and contraception requires ethical considerations, informed consent, and following established guidelines to protect participants. Consulting with experts in the field or an institutional review board (IRB) is recommended to ensure the experiment's adherence to ethical standards.