Effect of Two Teaching Methods on Sexual Health Knowledge of In-School Adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria

This quasi experimental study was designed to determine the effect of lecture and Socratic questioning teaching methods on mean sexual health knowledge gain of in-school adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria. A sample of 310 senior secondary-two students in eight intact classes were drawn from 16,510 senior in-school adolescents using multi-stage sampling. Sexual health knowledge test comprising 50 items was used to test students’ knowledge of sexual health. Student t-test and ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses at α=0.05. There was significant difference in the mean sexual health knowledge gain scores of students taught with lecture and Socratic questioning methods (lecture x̄=9.25 > Socratic questioning x̄=7.25; p<0.01). There was statistically significant difference in the mean sexual health knowledge gain of students in urban and rural schools (P<0.001). Students in rural areas taught with lecture method had higher mean sexual health knowledge gain score (x̄=11.75) than those in the urban areas (x̄ = 7.50). Urban subjects taught with Socratic questioning had slightly higher mean sexual health knowledge gain score of x̄=7.26 compared to their rural counterparts that scored x̄=7.25. Lecture remains effective teaching method for improving sexual health knowledge of students. Health educators should use lecture methods for adolescents’ health instructions.