Assessment of the depth of knowledge of HIV/AIDS by secondary school students in southern Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine the perception (depth of knowledge) of secondary school students in Southern Cross River State concerning HIV/AIDS, in terms of meaning and group at risk, routes of transmission, and prevention strategies. To accomplish the research purpose, one research question and one research hypothesis were formulated. The Research design adopted for this study was survey inferential. The sample consisted of 600 senior secondary school students drawn from a population of 17,587 senior secondary school students (as at the time of research). The instrument used was questionnaire. Population t-test and simple percentages for individual items were used in the analyses of data collected. The findings showed that the general perceptions of the secondary school students on HIV/AIDS are high. It was recommended, among others, that more health educators and guidance counsellors knowledgeable in HIV/AIDS issues should be employed in every secondary school. Global Journal of Educational Research Vol. 5 (1&2) 2006: pp. 23-28