CARICOM Multi-Agency Health Family Life Education Project: Summary Report of Trinidad and Tobago Needs Assessment Study (Students 11-13 Years Old)

Date

1997-10

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

School of Education, UWI

Abstract

The HFLE Needs Assessment Study was carried out to obtain data on student knowledge and views about health lifestyles, a range of psycho-social issues affecting youth, and some aspects of the modus-operandi of the existing HFLE curriculum. It also sought to explore the problems, concerns, and values of young people; possible goals, outcomes and teaching and assessment methods of HFLE; and factors affecting the teaching of HFLE. The intended respondents were students in primary and secondary schools, and their teachers, principals and parents. This report summarizes and discusses the responses of Trinidadian secondary school students 11-13 years old. These responses suggested that a high percentage of these students would like to see more time allocated to the teaching of HFLE topics, and 51 percent wanted to have examinations on them. In terms of topics that could be included in HFLE and topics that they wished treated in greater depth, matters dealing with personal and emotional growth and development were most prominent. Parents, followed by teachers appeared to be the major sources of information and advice, with clinic/doctor a distant third, and religious leaders ranked lowest. Only a small proportion of students thought that AIDS could be caught by normal classroom contact. Students at this level prefer to be taught in mixed-sex groups and to engage in a lot of teacher-student discussion on topics. The major problems affecting the youth, as perceived by this age group are: drug abuse, lack of jobs, AIDS and STDs, lack of education, and sexual abuse.

Description

CARICOM Multi-Agency Health and Family Life Project

Table of Contents

Keywords

health and family life education, HFLE

Citation