APPLYING KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE BEHAVIOR THEORY TO INVESTIGATE SEXUALITY EDUCATION OF THAI SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS - A CURRENT STUDY WITH INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN MIND

Abstract

The article describes the current state of sexuality education among Thai secondary school students based on their attitudes towards sexuality, barriers to access to HIV prevention and the actual status of receiving sexual health information. Using knowledge-attitude behavioural theory, the author focused on the following subjects: 1. Attitudes of secondary school students in Bangkok toward sex education 2. Problems in accessing information on healthy sexuality, 3. Their attitudes about sex and sexuality 4. The obstacles to HIV prevention. The author identified gaps in the current knowledge of Thai high school students about healthy sexuality, access to information about healthy sexuality and barriers to healthy sexual education for high school students. The author also found that participants had the highest percentage of knowledge about sex on the Internet and a higher rate of knowledge about sexual health than about preventing STIs. In contrast, high school students in Thailand were positive about safe sex. Sexual attitudes differed on a gender basis, with men more open to sex. There was less correlation between individual history and sexual behaviour. Gender difference had no effect on the safer gender difference. The correlation between personal history and safer intercourse was weak. Secondary school children in Thailand believe that the content of sex education in textbooks is inadequate. Participants in the survey indicated a strong need for safer sexual knowledge and practices. New research results improve the sex education program in line with what adolescents think and can be used for better sex education. The innovation of this study is that it is the first time to find out the deficiencies of sex education content in Thailand by comparing the actual interview results with the content of sex education that the interviewers have received in the past. And learn how to do a more effective sex education program in Thailand than what your visitors think. Due to time and funding constraints, this study cannot conduct a larger-scale interview survey, so there will inevitably be omissions. The recommendations of the results of this study are also expected to be truly implemented in the Thai education system in the future.