INFLUENCE OF GENDER STEREOTYPE ON PUPILS’ KNOWLEDGE OF SEX EDUCATION IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the influence of gender stereotype on pupils’ knowledge of sex education in south-west, Nigeria. This study leveraged on a descriptive survey research design approach, and used a population of 382,017 primary five pupils from public schools in Oyo, Osun, and Ondo states. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total of 384 pupils. The instruments used for quantitative data collection included the Gender Stereotype Questionnaire (GSQ), the Pupils’ Knowledge of Sex Education Assessment Test (PKSEAT), all of which were developed by the researcher. The reliability of the questionnaire and assessment test were done through a test re-test method and the results yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.91 and 0.79 respectively. The data collected to address the research question were evaluated using descriptive statistics of mean, percentage, and frequency count while the simple linear regression was used to analyze the null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. Findings revealed that pupils expressed positive opinions about gender stereotype(mean=3.09). The pupils’ knowledge of sex education was all found to be high (15.90). Gender stereotypes were also found to have a significant influence on knowledge of sex education (B=0.138; t ₍₃₈₂₎ = 11.03; P=0.000). It can be concluded that the influence of gender stereotype on knowledge of sex education among pupils in south-west, Nigeria was significant. It was therefore recommended that educational interventions should be designed to address existing gender stereotypes in order to sustain and further enhance pupils' knowledge of sex education.