Comparison of Level of Knowledge and Attitude towards Sex between General and Industrial High School Students

인문계와 산업체 고교생들의 성에 대한 태도 및 지식수준 비교

This study was planned to investigate indirectly the effects of study environments of high school students such as family characteristics, availability of sex education, and possibility of exposure to unhealthy sexual environments. For this purpose, the level of knowledge and attitude towards sex of general and industrial high school students were compared because these two groups of students were believed to be different in those study variables. For this study, 600 students (300 male and 300 female students) from a general high school students and 400 (200 male and 200 female) from an industrial high school in one industrial city in Korea were surveyed with a structured questionnaire. The study results were as follows: 1. There were significant differences in selected family condition variables between general and industrial high school students. Proportions of students with single parents, those who live in houses other than their own, and those father's occupations were farming and manufacturing were higher in industrial high school students than in general high school students. 2. Female students wanted to have more knowledge on sex whereas male students were interested in things related to sexual acts in both general and industrial high school students. The largest proportion of students wanted to discuss their sex problems with their friends not with their parents. 3. More students in general high school thought that the sexual intercourse is natural and pretty than those in industrial high school, whereas more industrial high school students insisted on the sexual purity before marriage than general high school students. 4. About 65% of students surveyed agreed to making friends with opposite sex and, in fact, more than half either had experiences or were having friends of opposite sex. More students in industrial high school wanted to choose their marital partners based on advices of their parents than students in general high school. 5. More female students than male and more industrial high school students than general high school students were embarrassed with first wet dream or menstruation and felt guilty about the masturbation. 6. Level of knowledge on reproductive physiology, sex transmitted disease and contraception was higher in general high school students than in industrial high school students. These study results suggest that simple knowledge on sex of the general high school students does not seem to affect positively the students attitude towards sex and the unfavorable living conditions of industrial high school students seem to influence the students to become more sincere and healthy in their attitude towards sex and life. Therefore, more thoughtful consideration in contents and methods should be given when the sex education is provided to the high school students.