Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

University of Northern Iowa--Students--Attitudes; University of Northern Iowa; AIDS (Disease)--Prevention--Study and teaching; AIDS (Disease)--Study and teaching; Students--Attitudes;

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different teaching methodologies on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of a selected group of undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa. The two methods used were a lecture on AIDS for one group of students and the same lecture followed by a panel discussion with individuals upon whom AIDS has had a direct effect on their lives for a second group of students.

Subjects consisted of three sections of students enrolled in an undergraduate personal wellness course at the university. One section of students served as a control group, participating in a pretest and posttest questionnaire only. The second group of students participated in the pretest, received the AIDS lecture content, and were posttested. The third group of students participated in the pretest, AIDS lecture, panel discussion, and the posttest.

A 64-item questionnaire was used to assess AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors for both pretest and posttest. Chi-square analyses were used to determine significant differences between pretest and posttest responses for each group of students.

Pretest results of all students (n = 211) revealed that AIDS-related knowledge level of the students was generally high. Attitudes and behavior of students reflected a low perceived risk for HIV infection as evidenced by the facts that 77.3% of the sample reported they were sexually active, yet only 14.7% always used condoms.

Comparison of pretest to posttest data revealed no significant differences in responses to any questionnaire items in the control group. students participating in the AIDS lecture responded significantly differently from pretest to posttest on six questionnaire items. Five of these items pertained to AIDS-related knowledge. One item pertained to sexual behavior. Students participating in both the AIDS lecture and panel discussion responded significantly differently from pretest to posttest on 10 questionnaire items. Three items pertained to AIDS-related knowledge; seven items pertained to AIDS-related attitudes and beliefs, specifically attitudes regarding distribution of condoms on campus, desire for additional AIDS information, perceptions of a cure for AIDS being discovered in the near future, and fear of spread of HIV among the university student population.

The results of this study suggest that the main effect of the AIDS lecture in this sample of students was an increase in AIDS-related knowledge. Students who received both the AIDS lecture and panel discussion demonstrated significant changes in both AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes/beliefs.

Year of Submission

1992

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services

First Advisor

Susan Koch

Second Advisor

Dennis Cryer

Third Advisor

Sue Joslyn

Comments

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Date Original

1992

Object Description

1 PDF file (142 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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