Secondary School Youth Research Articles

Knowledge, Sources of information, and Risk Factors for Sexually Transmitted Infections among Secondary School Youth in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are responsible for a variety of health problems especially among the youth who engage in risky sexual behavior. There are few studies that describe STIs among the youths in Northern Nigeria. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge of STIs and risk factors among secondary school youth. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographics, knowledge on STIs, and risk factors. Three senior secondary schools were purposively selected for the study. Results: A total of 1765 youths aged 10-30 years with mean age of 16.9 ± 2.0 years participated in the study. 1371 (77.7%) and 394 (22.3%) were respectively Muslim and Christian. Mean age at first sexual intercourse was 16.7 ± 2.0 years. A majority (67.6%) of them heard about STIs; sources of information of STIs were school lessons 23.6%, mass media 23.3%, and health magazines 19.2%, respectively. Generally, knowledge on STIs was good as 75.4% of respondents knew how the disease is transmitted. This knowledge was significantly associated with class of student, place of treatment, and religious teaching (χ2 = 9.6, P = 0.047, χ2 = 22.1, P = 0.035 and 42.6, P = 0.001, respectively). Mean knowledge score was 0.698 ± 0.01. A majority of respondents were engaged in risky sexual behavior as only 16.2% use condom as a preventive measure. Eleven percent reported ever having an STI in the past and majority (52.8%) go to government hospital for treatment of acquired STI. 56% of the youth had two or more boy/girl friends and 30% had sexual relationships.Conclusion: It was concluded that secondary school youth had good knowledge about STIs; however, the opposite is true when it comes to preventive practice (use of condom). Interventions such as periodic publicity awareness and school seminars focusing on STI preventions are needed to control the disease among the youth.

The Religious Affiliation and Anti-Semitism of Secondary School Swedish Youths: A Statistical Analysis of Survey Data from 2003 and 2009

Not only in Sweden, but also in several international studies, it has been shown that a non-negligible proportion of the European population subscribes to classical anti-Semitic notions, and that anti-Semitism is a phenomenon that is still very much present in post-1945 Europe, more so in some countries than others. Moreover, there is evidence of an increase in anti-Semitic attitudes and incidents in recent decades. The latter is also depicted as being related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially the Israeli military operation Cast Lead of 2008-2009 which resulted in Jews being blamed for the political and military actions of the State of Israel. As prejudice is acquired in the early years of socialization, and/or is innate and fairly stable over the life cycle, examining adolescents' attitudes is vitally important because they can help us to understand what might happen in the future.Hence, the aim of this study is to study three interrelated questions: Which factors explain anti-Semitism among secondary school youths in Sweden? Is religious affiliation an important factor in explaining anti-Semitism among Swedish youth? Has anti-Semitism among Swedish secondary school youths increased between 2003 and 2009? Using two unique surveys of secondary school students in Sweden for the years 2003 and 2009, we try to address the above questions. The results of our analysis show that in general anti-Semitism amongst Swedish youths is in line with the results of earlier studies. However, in contrast to the views of the general public, it has not increased during the examined period but has instead decreased. Moreover, we show that anti-Semitism has increased amongst Muslim youth.

The Nexus between environmental knowledge and ecotourism attitude among the local youths in Co-educational Secondary Schools in Bondo Sub-County, Siaya County, Kenya

Kenya’s pursuit to be among the top tourism destinations globally require strategic focus as envisaged in Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Ecotourism supports environmental conservation as well as generating economic opportunities. It additionally emphasizes benefits to the local community and suggests that the involvement of the residents is important for the effective management of tourism. Bondo district is endowed with vast ecotourism resources yet the residents lavish in poverty. The objectives of the study were: To investigate the relationship between youths’ environmental knowledge and ecotourism attitude in Bondo district; to propose a structural relationships between, environmental knowledge and ecotourism attitude; and to recommend an appropriate strategy for community capacity building for promotion of ecotourism in Bondo District and its environs. This study used students enrolled in Form Three at 16 co-educational day secondary schools in Bondo district. Random sampling technique was used to derive representative sample from the target youth population. Structural equation modeling using AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures) was used to develop structural models for the relationships. A strategy for community capacity building was proposed based on the relationship between environmental knowledge and ecotourism attitude (.70). Analysis indicated that residents’ environmental knowledge strongly influence attitudes towards ecotourism. Residents’ involvement in ecotourism may be stimulated through: appropriate management strategies aimed at increasing their environmental knowledge; encouraging positive ecotourism attitudes, and environmental planning that promotes residents’ affinity for local attractions.

Effects of Gender and Parenting Styles on the Acquisition of Democratic Values by Nigerian Youths in Secondary Schools

It is obvious that every level of education is expected to empower learners with adequate knowledge,attitude and skills relevant to build the society. This informed policy makers to formulate educationalgoals and values that can mould individuals towards such empowerment for effective life in thepluralistic society. Thus, education as an instrument per excellence for national development identifiedby the National Policy on Education (2004, revised) fosters the building of:(i) A free and democratic society;(ii) A just and egalitarian society;(iii) A united, strong and self-reliant nation;(iv) A great and dynamic economy and(v) A land of bright and full opportunities for all citizensIt also listed the values which should permeate the quality of instruction in school as:a) Respect for the worth and dignity of the individualsb) Faith in man’s ability to make rational decision;c) Moral and spiritual values in interpersonal and human relations;d) Shared responsibility for the common good of societye) Respect for the dignity of labour andf) Promotion of the emotional, physical and psychological health of all children.

Cigarette consumption among the secondary school population in Kragujevac

Objective. Cigarette consumption among the youth indicates that there is a trend of continuous growth of consumption. The aim of the research is to analyze the influence of socio-economic factors on the frequency of cigarette consumption among the secondary school youth in order to prepare and apply adequate measures of prevention and cigarette consumption control in adolescence. Methods. The research was conducted in November 2007. The survey comprised 1280 pupils of the 1st and 4th grade, both male and female, out of which there were 485 pupils of Technical school, 231 pupils of Medical school, and 564 pupils of Economics school. The survey results were processed by applying χ2 test. Results. Of all pupils surveyed, most pupils (79,4%) didn't consume cigarettes, while 20,6% of them did. Among the 1st grade pupils, who consumed cigarettes, 63,6% were males and 36,4% were females, while among the 4th grade pupils there was almost an equal percent of males (49,5%) and females (50,5%). About one third of all pupils surveyed, in the three schools, started consuming cigarettes at the age of 15. Conclusion. Cigarette consumption in the period of adolescence is a significant healthy, social and sociomedical problem. For the above mentioned reasons it is necessary to undertake synergic actions of all public subjects in preparing and applying the measures of prevention and cigarette consumption control.

HIV/AIDS awareness among secondary school youths in Port Harcourt, rivers state, Nigeria

This is a questionnaire survey designed to determine the HIV/AIDS awareness among some secondary school youths in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study sample consisted of 650 pupils from six secondary schools. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about their personal background, sexual history, awareness of HIV/AIDS and attitude towards HIV/AIDS. The mean age of the students was 15 years. The results indicated that 99% of the pupils examined were aware of HIV/AIDS. Their sources of information were: the news media (35%), school (26%), personal communication (13%) and others (8%). On their modes of transmission and symptoms of AIDS, 77% and 52% respectively, answered correctly. Of those who are presently sexually active, 26% do not use condoms, yet only 6% thought they were at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Though only 27% of the participants accepted that their level of awareness had affected their sexual behaviours, it appears that students are now exercising caution in starting new relationship, e.g. 24% will insist on the use of a condom, 21% will be interested in finding out the number of previous partners of an intending partner and 26% will insist on abstinence. It was recorded that 29% will insist on a monogamous relationship. It is frightening, that they are unable to assess, correctly, their level of risk. This puts them at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Beyond efforts to spread awareness all interested bodies e.g. Government, teachers, Non Governmental Organizations, media should plan regular programmes to assess the level of success of existing interventions. As the ultimate aim is that pupils are able to develop consistent behaviours that enable them choose safe sexual practices.KEY WORDS: HIV /AIDS, Awareness, Secondary School, Port-Harcourt.

From image to ideology: analysing shifting identity positions of marginalized youth across the cultural sites of video production

In this article, we make visible the ways youth position themselves in and through the cultural sites of video production. Drawing on data from a three-year case study of the multiple literacy practices of youth in an alternative secondary school, we use visual cultural methodology and theories of subject positioning and embodiment to analyse two student-produced videos, illustrating how youth play with multimodal discursive and material resources to inscribe their shifting subject positions. The findings illustrate how otherwise marginalized students negotiate and represent complex, and sometimes contradictory, identity positions tied to both local and larger cultural contexts and ideologies, and suggest new questions and possibilities for multimodal analysis and pedagogy.

Compounding Inequalities: English Proficiency and Tracking and Their Relation to Mathematics Performance Among Latina/o Secondary School Youth

In this article, the author examines whether disparities in mathematics performance might be exacerbated by the track placement of native and non-native Latina/o English speakers in the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. The effect of track placement on the mathematics performance of English Learners (EL) differed as a function of their level of English proficiency. The scores of Latinas/os with low levels of English proficiency in the general track were similar to the scores of students in the college track with comparable levels of English proficiency. The scores of non-native English speakers in the college track with high levels of English proficiency, however, were higher than those of their peers in the general track and nearly as high as those of native English speakers in the college track. Implications for the potential development of the mathematics language register of ELs are discussed.

In School or at Work? Evidence from a Crisis

This paper examines the effect of labor market opportunities on schooling-employment decisions in 12 urban areas in Argentina over 12 years, emphasizing the recession/crisis years 1998-2002. The effects of macroeconomic swings on schooling decisions are examined with a focus on whether the income or substitution effect dominates as macroeconomic conditions change. I demonstrate that over typical years deteriorating job rates (or wages) increase the probability of attending school and decrease the probability of combining work and school, particularly for boys. After controlling for household and individual characteristics I find that the probability of being in school for secondary school youth was about 6 percentage points higher in 2002 than in 1998 (before the recession started). In fact, a 10 percent decrease in the job rate alone has been responsible for a 5.4 percentage point rise in the probability of school attendance since 2000. This effect is attenuated during the 2002 crisis when household expectations change in response to shocks. These estimates allow for the fact that a new Federal Education Law (FEL) in 1996 extended mandatory education to 10 years and might have affected schooling outcomes.

Distribution of Foot Pressing Forces in a Standing Position of Children and Youth in the Light of Prevention and Correction

Background: The aim of this paper was to show abnormalities in distribution of foot pressing forces in standing position in children and youths, and also related consequences, in the light of preventive and corrective actions. Material/Methods: The research was conducted in December 2009 at the Rehabilitation Centre in Malbork. It was part of a huge research project covering almost 2500 people. The control group comprised of 205 students in two age groups: 7–9 years old and 17–19 years old. The examined students attend two schools: No 3 Primary School in Pruszcz Gdanski and No 2 Secondary Schools Group in Malbork. For analysis of the distribution of foot pressing forces Zebris FDMS measuring plate aimed at a computer foot diagnosis was used. Results: An analysis of the performed examinations shows that the highest values of pressuring forces among children and youth attending schools are at the calcanean tuber – 7.77 and 9.68 N/cm², accordingly. The average recorded value of the pressuring force at the calcanean tuber was more than twice bigger than the most loaded part of metatarsus among school children. A similar situation has been observed among the youths attending school. Conclusions: Abnormalities in the value and distribution of foot pressing forces have been observed. Early-school children and secondary school youths tend to overload the calcanean tuber. An excessive load of the central part of metatarsus was observed as compared to its lateral and medial part in both the age groups. In the future those overloads can be a cause of pain ailments and lead to feet dysfunction and deformation such as transverse platypodia, hallux valgus, mallet toes, calcanean spur, callosities. Systematic check-ups and preventive actions can minimise posture distortions and prevent fixation of those changes.

Self-perceived Oral Malodour among Secondary School Youths in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of self-perceived oral malodour (oral malodour or halitosis) among secondary school youths aged 14-19 years in Kinondoni municipality, Dar eS salaam. A total of 198 secondary school youths were involved in the study, of whom 43% were males. Information on the respondents’ perception on Oral malodour was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire. The Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to compare different subgroups. Oral malodour was self reported in 74% of the respondents while 73% of the respondents had an opinion that oral malodour is a problem in the society around them. Half of the respondents reported that oral malodour affects both males and females equally. Most of the respondents suggested that, there is a need to give more information on oral malodour to the public. In conclusion, most youths perceived that oral malodour is an existing problem in their settings and most of them recommend more information on the condition to the public. More studies on the scope, clinical assessment, perception and prevalence of oral malodour in different urban and rural Tanzanian communities are recommended.

"Tra inclusione ed emarginazione?" Percorsi scolastici dei giovani d'origine immigrata nella scuola secondaria superiore italiana

- In the last few years, the Italian migra-tory setting has been characterised by an increasing presence of second generation young migrants, most of them in the school. Their educational integration has been studied mostly referring to the processes of cultural inclusion in the receiving society, with a minor attention on the achievement. We will try to describe the young migrants' educational paths in the high school, that - in case of failure - could represent the starting point of social and occupational marginalization, or, if they are succeeding, it could represent the first step of intergenerational mobility. Starting from the most relevant theories on the school achievement of the migrant children, we will examine the concept of human, cultural and social capital as a factor influencing the differences in the educational outcomes: we will also ana-lyse the concept of ethnic capital, and its particular characteristics in Ecuadorian migrants. A research run in Genoa in the school year 2006/07 with two samples of youth in high secondary school, one of second generation Ecuadorians, one of Ital-ians with the same characteristic, allows to better understand differences and com-munalities in the educational paths.Keywords Social capital, human capital, school achievement, socialization, second generations.

Objectives and actual HIV and AIDS education programme delivery and behavioral changes among Kenyan secondary school students

Although there seems to be a high level of awareness of the HIV and AIDS menace among the youth, their behavior does not reflect this level of awareness. There seems to be a mismatch between HIV and AIDS Programme objectives and behavior change among the youth. However, this level of mismatch has not been established for effective intervention strategies to be put in place. The purpose of this study was to determine the gap between the objectives and actual HIV and AIDS education programme delivery in Siaya district public secondary schools, Kenya. Four instruments were used in the study: questionnaire, focus group discussions, interview schedule and documents analysis guide. Population of the study was 3205, which comprised of 68 head teachers, 719 teachers and 2418 students. The study selected 1/3 of the population by stratified random technique by sex to form the sample. The study established that whereas students believed they had begun exhibiting the expected change of behaviour, teachers felt that this was minimal to enable them prevent and control the spread of HIV among the youth. This suggested that there seem to exist a gap between objectives and actual HIV and AIDS education programme delivery and behavioral changes among the youth in secondary schools in Siaya district. Strategies of closing the gap are explored from the perspectives of teachers and students respectively. Key words: Objectives, actual programme delivery, HIV and AIDS, behaviour change.

Safe sex pioneers: class identity, peer education and emerging masculinities among youth in Mozambique

Studies on sexual behaviour within the area of HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa have largely focussed on unsafe sex and obstacles to condom use rather than examined factors potentially favouring safe sex. The present study examines how class, gender and peer education affects safe sex in male youth and identifies the reasons behind condom use by combining a questionnaire survey with ethnographic fieldwork. Findings from the field study among male secondary school youth in Maputo, Mozambique point to middle class youth from urban schools as more likely to use condoms than working class youth from suburban schools. Examining the meanings behind use or non-use of condoms the study identified narratives in middle class youth favouring safe sex in response to better social conditions, career opportunities and 'modern' masculinities, whereas working class youth explained non-use of condoms as due to lack of hope and job opportunities and by reference to fatalist ideas that life is out of their hands and that it's better to 'live in the moment'.

Racial and emotional factors predicting teachers' perceptions of classroom behavioral maladjustment for urban African American male youth

AbstractThe present study investigated the predictive influence of students' reactive emotional coping and racial socialization experiences on teachers' perceptions of classroom behavior adjustment problems. Participants were 148 African American male youth attending a secondary school in a large northeastern city. Behavioral outcomes included teacher ratings of student behavioral overactivity in different classroom situations. Results using hierarchical regression analyses show that measures of social rejection sensitivity, anger expression, and racial socialization predict teacher‐observed behavioral overactivity, with overt anger expression being the most powerful predictor. Findings suggest that racial socialization and particular styles of emotional coping are important determinants for teachers' impressions of classroom behavior for some African American adolescent males. Implications for future research and interventions with African American male youth in urban secondary schools are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An evaluation of behavioural and personality differences between native and non‐native male adolescents in the Netherlands ordered into treatment in a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic, and their non‐violent peers

In a previous study of the dynamic criminogenic needs of violent outpatients we did not differentiate between native and non-native adolescents, but differences between personality traits and problem behaviours may require adaptations to any treatment programme. To compare, in the Netherlands, native and non-native adolescents with and without a violence history on personality traits and problem behaviours. Forty-eight native and 71 non-native violent male adolescents were recruited from consecutive referrals to a forensic outpatient clinic after a violent offence and compared with randomly selected male youths in secondary vocational schools, but without a violent history, 82 of whom were from Dutch and 79 from non-Dutch descent. Each took part in an individual interview to complete a range of personality and behavioural rating scales. Native and non-native adolescent outpatients did not differ from each other on any measure. Overall, the outpatients scored higher than the students on hostility but not aggressive behaviour, but there were differences within the student group according to descent, with the native students having higher agreeableness scores and lower hostility and aggressive behaviour scores than the students of non-Dutch descent. Our study suggested that any differences in behavioural or personality traits seen in the general adolescent population according to descent are not reflected in a violent offender group of similar age. It therefore seems unlikely to be necessary to run different treatment programmes for native and non-native adolescent offenders.

HIV testing among youths in a Nigerian local population

Voluntary HIV testing enables infected individuals to access treatment early and adopt safe sexual practices. Young people aged 15-29 have the highest prevalence of HIV in Nigeria. Yet most of them remain untested. To determine the attitude of youths to voluntary HIV testing and examine various factors that can influence it. Multi-staged sampling method was used to choose 400 youths aged between 15 and 29yrs in Sagamu and data was collected from them. Three hundred and ninety three (393) well filled questionnaires were analysed. Male to female ratio was 1:1 (196 males, 197 females). Of the 393 respondents, 309 (78.6%) had a positive attitude to HIV testing. Seventy-eight (19.8%) indicated that they were aware of Voluntary Counselling and Confidential Testing. Forty-five respondents (11.5%) had been tested for HIV before. Of the 45 previously tested respondents, 10 (22.2%) went for voluntary HIV test. The major reasons given for not having been tested were: 166 (47.6%) believed that they couldn't have HIV, 60 (17.4%) indicated it had not occurred to them to be tested, 38 (10.9%) had no time while 27 (7.9%) feared the stigma attached to HIV. Of the 348 who had never been tested, 237 (68.2%) would like to do it but if it were free, 278 (79.9%) of the respondents would do it. Single youths, those with at least secondary school education and youths who knew someone with HIV were more likely to desire an HIV test (p<0.05). Youths who were willing to care for people living with HIV/AIDS were more willing to be tested (70.5%) compared with those who were not (65.0%). Majority of the youths have a positive attitude to HIV testing.

The progress of school education in India

This paper provides an overview of school education in India. Firstly, it places India`s educational achievements in international perspective, especially against countries with which it is now increasingly compared such as BRIC economies in general and China in particular. India does well relative to Pakistan and Bangladesh but lags seriously behind China and the other BRIC countries, especially in secondary school participation and youth literacy rates. Secondly, the paper examines schooling access in terms of enrolment and school attendance rates, and schooling quality in terms of literacy rates, learning achievement levels, school resources and teacher inputs. The substantial silver lining in the cloud of Indian Education is that its primary enrolment rates are now close to universal. However, despite progress, attendance and retention rates are not close to universal, secondary enrolment rates are low, learning achievement levels are seriously low and teacher absenteeism is high, signalling poor quality of schooling. Thirdly, the paper examines the role of private schooling in India. While more modest in rural areas, the recent growth of private schooling in urban areas has been nothing short of massive, raising questions about growing inequality in educational opportunity. Evidence suggests that private schools are both more effective in imparting learning and do so at a fraction of the unit cost of government schools, their cost advantage being because they can pay market wages while government school teachers` bureaucratically set minimum wages have large rents in them which teacher unions have fought hard to secure. Lastly, the paper discusses some major public education initiatives such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, mid-day meal and para-teacher schemes. The impacts of these massive interventions (and their sub-components) on children`s schooling outcomes need to be rigorously evaluated to learn about the cost-effectiveness of alternative interventions for better future policy making. However, the existence of some of these initiatives and the introduction of the 2% education cess to fund them suggests increased public commitment to school education and, together with increased NGO education activity, gives grounds for optimism about the future, even though many challenges remain.

Psychosocial attributes of orphaned youths in Ibadan Metropolis: implications for reproductive health

Context : The HIV mortality surge in Sub-Saharan Africa has brought a new focus on the plight of orphaned youths. Objective : To determine the prevalence of orphans and associated psychosocial and reproductive health factors in rural and urban secondary school youths in Southwest Nigeria across two age groups, adolescents aged 17 years and below and youth aged 18-24 years. Methods : A total of 1850 youth from 20 schools in 3 urban and 2 rural school districts in South-western Nigeria had the self-administered instruments: Global School Health Questionnaire to assess reproductive and other health indices and the Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory. Results : The overall prevalence of orphans was 10.1 % (15.5% in rural and 8.2% in urban areas}. Most differences between orphans and non-orphans were found in the 9-17 year age group where orphans were more likely to live in rural areas, emerge from polygamous families, have parents with no formal education and have to work. In this group also, orphans were more likely to have 'ever had sexual intercourse' than non-orphans (24% versus 16.7%; xsup>2 = 4.13; df:1; p = 0.042) and were also more likely to 'have had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months' (15.8% versus 9.2%; x 2 = 5.4; df:1; p = 0.020). For the 18-24 year age group, there are no significant differences in sexual behaviour. Conclusion : Policy makers and implementers need to draw up programmes to address the reproductive health needs of orphans, particularly those aged 17 years and under. Keywords : orphans, youth, psychosocial, reproductive health Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vol. 23(1) 2006: 54-62

Sleep and adolescence. Do New Zealand teenagers get enough?

The objective of this study is to describe the sleep patterns of secondary school students in New Zealand. This study uses data from a national secondary school youth health survey conducted in 2001. A total of 9567 students completed the survey with an overall response rate of 64.3%. Students were asked if they felt they got enough sleep and the numbers of sleep hours were estimated from self-reported bedtimes and awakening times during the week and weekend. A significant proportion (21%) of students reported not getting enough sleep. Inadequate sleep was more common among older students and female students of Maori and New Zealand European ethnicity. The average amount of sleep secondary school students report in New Zealand is 8 h and 40 min during the week and 9 h and 23 min during the weekend. There was a shift towards later bedtimes and fewer total sleep hours among older students. Increasing hours of extracurricular activities and employment were generally associated with less sleep, especially among students engaging in more than 5 h a day of these activities. Significant numbers of secondary school students report inadequate sleep. Given the importance of adequate sleep on healthy adolescent development, parents and health professionals should be wary of the amount of extracurricular activities that young people engage in, especially part-time employment and the potential negative impact it may have on the adequacy of their sleep.