| This study examined the relationship between sex education and the sexual behaviors of adolescents. Categories examined in this research included obtaining sex education from church, pledging sexual abstinence until married, signing a True Love Waits abstinence pledge, and categorizing the type of sex education (comprehensive sex education, abstinence-only sex education, no sex education, and a combination of abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education) the adolescent had received. A convenience sample (n = 241) was selected primarily from a large university in south Louisiana. The Modified Sexual Behavior Inventory (MSBI) was utilized to measure sexual behavior, including coital and non-coital behaviors, and the Marlowe-Crowne 10 (M-C 1) was used to measure social desirability. Utilizing analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to control for social desirability, this researcher concluded the only type of sex education associated with significantly lower sexual behaviors was pledging sexual abstinence until marriage, F(1, 214) = 22.382, p < .001. Implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations for future study are suggested. |
