Perceptions of Female Senior High School Students on Teenage

Pregnancy

by

Ron Marc Maranan

Mariefer Castillo
Edu Viray
Johnson Ramos
Erwin Franza
Maricar DelaCruz

A Research Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Practical

Research 1

Lasip National High School

January 2020
 Chapter 1

The Problem and it’s Background

Introduction

Here in the Philippines, we believe in the saying of our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal
that “Youth is the hope of our Mother Land”. In their hand lies the future generation to follow.
But as we see from the situation nowdays, what were expecting from the youth is the
contrary in the saying. Teenagers are prone to pregnancy. Almost every year there is rapid
increase on the number of pregnant youths . One of the major causes of this problem is that the
most of the youths nowdays grew up in broken homes. Parents either the father or mother of the
youths choose to leave their children behind because of the fact that they cannot handle
anymore their obligation as parents.
In relation to this problem, our government is now working on Reproductive Health Bill
(RH Bill) as one of the most effective solution not only to teenage pregnancy but also to the
increasing population of our country.

Statement of the Problem

Question regarding the study are listed below.

1. What are the perception of the Female Senior Highschool Student about Teenage
Pregnancy?
2. What are the reasons / factors of being pregnant early?
3. How to avoid being pregnant early?

Significance of the Study

The significance of this study is to prevent teenagers on getting pregnant early. Also to
increase the awareness and knowledge on the increasing number of teenage pregnancy cases
and to be able for them to absorb and reflect the effects and problems attached in teenage
pregnancy. This study will benefit the following:

 Students – this study will give them information about the cause and possible effects on
teenage pregnancy to their studies once they got pregnant. In one way or another this
 study will guide them to focus first their attention to their studies rather than giving
priorities to their romantic affairs.

 Parents – this study will enable them to realize their great role in educating their
teenagers, protecting and diverting them from indulging early sex especially without
marriage. They must be aware tooof what kind of peers their teenager have. This study
too will make the parents aware that education about contraceptives will start also at
home.

 Teachers – this study will informed how important is education to the development of
children to manhood. This enables them to guide and identify the major causes of
teenage pregnancy.

 Society – this study could lessen the percentage of single parenthood of the community.
It could orient family members on how teenage pregnancy can affect the family most
especially the teens.

Assumptions of the Study

The researchers seek to describe the perception of the students about teenage
pregnancy. This will understand the mindset of the students. The study also aims to benefit
students, parents, teachers, and the society upon the information gathered on the end of the
study.

Scope and Delimitations

This research study was limited and will conducted only at Lasip National High
School during the second semester of the school year 2019-2020. The respondents of the
study are Female Senior High School students. The researchers have planned to interview
8 Female Senior High School students. This is used in order to formulate an effective study
regarding to there perception about teenage pregnancy.
 Definition of Terms

Some terminologies that are going to be frequently used are enlisted below for the
better understanding of the study.

 Teenage Pregnancy- refers to any pregnancy women that took place between the aged
13-19 years old.

 Teen aged Students- refers to students that ages a number that end in “teen” as the
last syllable such as 13,14,15,16,17,18, and 19.

 Contraceptives- device or drug to prevent pregnancy.

Theoritical / Conceptual Framework

Input Process
Output
Identify the reason why a Interview
Identified cause and
lot of teenagers gets Gathering data from the effect of the early
pregnant early teen aged students pregnancy and ways to
avoid it.
 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

The tremendous speed of technological innovations requires that the teenagers keep
pace to the present days changes. Such as teenagers in the Philippine must be protected
against the increasing trend of teenage pregnancy as it happened on this latest decade. An
another decades of the same trend is already detrimental to the educational development of
students and out of the youth in the country.

Contributing Factors:

Family

In the Philippines, the NSO 2013, data showed that 13-14 percent of all registered
marriages are among teenagers below 20 years old while data from the National Youth
Commission show that the rate of teen pregnancy in the country is among the highest in the
ASEAN region and the only country where the rate is increasing. The global issue of teen
pregnancy is the reason why the annual celebration of World Population Day — July 11 —
lead by UNFPA, focuses on addressing teen pregnancy. Benjamin de Leon, president of the
Forum for Family Planning and Development in the Philippines, an NGO working on adolescent
health issues, expressed alarm that almost 10 percent of all Filipino women aged 15-19 have
already given birth. “This is a reality that we must address, he said. There is an urgency for all
sectors “to work together to help ladders adolescent reproductive health issues and teen
pregnancy because of the health and economic implications to the country,” he said. “A high
rate of teen pregnancy also means a high risk for maternal deaths among our young girls.”

The Philippines joins the rest of the world in calling the attention of Government and civil
society groups to help address rising teen pregnancies through better policies, improved
education and information campaigns and programs that can reach our adolescents in schools,
in communities or wherever they may be,” de Leon said. In here he points out that every Filipino
family, community, church involvement and peers of a teenager has a great role on this.

From the stands By Domini M. Torre Villas (The Philippine Star) updated July 11,
2013. There is evidence supporting the Reproductive Health Law that calls for sexuality
education among young students. Not that for teaching the kids to engage in “safe” sex, but
rather, for telling them why they should not engage in early sex, and yes, before marriage. With
regulated sexuality education, the young are informed about sex, pregnancy, unplanned
and planned, instead of through the internet or pornographic magazines that somehow manage
to reach them. Peep into their rooms and see copies of Playboy and Penthouse and other sexy
publications tucked between the bed sheets, and for-adults-only videos in the internet. When
the family disregard sex education at home, might one way that teenagers will be innocent
about sex consequences and prone to early sex. The other one is when the family has
poor values and can’t understand the need of teenagers economically, socially and emotionally
might one reason too of teenage pregnancy.
 Discover Questions in the Philippines”, July 14, 2013 (Online Survey). The factors
that triggers the increased of Teenage Pregnancy in the country are: Family problems, broken
family/complicated family, peer pressure/bad influence, Media/Television/Movies-Influential
Trends (regarding sex), Pornography, lack of attention, love, caring, lack of moral
values, failure to nurture with good principle, Curiosity, Lack of Information about Sex (sex
education), use of Illegal drugs, lack of Guidance, Prostitution (involves poverty), unintelligent
decisions etc.

The main thrust of this study is to find out the factors behind the teenage pregnancy. It
is clear that some other factors on teenage pregnancy such as peer pressure, media / movies
or television, use of illegal drugs and Lack of Information about Sex (sex education) and some
other factors are rooted or sprouted from 2 factors only and that are due to absence of “Family
Intervention” and Educational Information about sex (sex education).

In here it was disclosed by ”Press release courtesy of DKT Reproductive Health Inc.”,
2012: that the National Statistics Office revealed that from 2000-2010, teenage pregnancy in the
Philippines has increased by 65%, despite an almost 14% decline in teenage marriage in the
same period. The increase was most notable among girls aged 15 to 19, among whom live
births rose 38% from the Family Health Survey disclosed that the primary reasons for teenage
pregnancy are insufficient access to information about sexual health and reproductive health
services specifically targeted at teens.

Actually the first access on Education of sex will start at home but in spite of campaign of
Philippine government. Filipino families remain hesitant to open up sex to their children. Instead
the government has find hard to implement sex education because of Filipino beliefs and
values. (Billy & Brewster,2002),The family members of an adolescent exert considerable
influence over his or her sexual behavior. Many aspects of family life influence a teen’s decision
to become sexually active, use contraception, or continue with a pregnancy. Socio-economic
status, family structure, parental attitudes, and parental communication and support all play an
important role in a teen’s decision-making. Children of parents with low educational attainment,
occupation and income are more likely to have sex at an early age, not use contraception
consistently and become pregnant or cause a pregnancy. The values and behavior
demonstrated by family members regarding sexual risk taking and early childbearing influence
the teen’s own attitudes and behavior.

Parents with permissive attitudes about teen sex or premarital sex, or negative attitudes
about contraception have children who are more likely to have unprotected sex and become
pregnant. (Kim, Ridge, Harper, & Yang, 1974) Teens look to their parents as role models and
very often reproduce their behavior. Therefore, it is not surprising that teens are more likely to
initiate sex and become pregnant if their parents are having sex outside of marriage,
cohabitating with a romantic or sexual partner, have had a child outside of marriage or gave
birth as an adolescent.

Community

Teenage Pregnancy in the Philippines, By Cezanne, January, 2010. Initially, much of

the research on the causes of adolescent sexual activity focused on the individual level, the
influence of the teens’ own physical and psychological characteristics. More recently there has
been growing interest in contextual variables, aspects of the teens’ environments, such as the
community and school. These studies have consistently found that the community where teens
live influences their sexual behavior. Adolescents who live in communities with more social
disorganization and fewer economic resources are more likely to engage in sex at an early age
and become pregnant. The level of education, unemployment rate and income level of the
adults in the community are all associated with the sexual behavior of teens.

(Kearney, 2004), Girls living in lower socio-economic circumstances are more likely than
their wealthier peers to become pregnant. And explain that teens who experience “despair” are
more likely to turn to motherhood as any to find out meaning in a world where they see few
other options.

Peers

Renee E. Sieving, Maria E. Eisenberg, Sandra Petting ell and Carol Sky, Volume 38,
Number 1, March 2006 “ Friends’ Influence on adolescents’ First Sexual intercourse,” stressed
that on their study showed that in the 9-18 months between Waves 1 and 2.18% of participants
initiated intercourse. In analyses controlling for gender, family structure and romantic
relationships, the higher the proportion of a youth’s friends who were sexually experienced, the
greater odds of sexual debut (odds ratio, 1.01), the odds also were elevated among youth who
believed that they would gain other friends’ respect by having sex.

Relationships between friend variables and sexual initiation did not vary by level of
involvement with friends. They concluded that to maximize the likelihood of success, programs
focused on delaying teenage sexual intercourse, should address norms for sexual behavior
among adolescents’ close friends as well as the perceptions, skills and behaviors of individual
youth.( R. Fernandez 2001), having a study of minority adolescents found that the number of
sexually active girlfriends was positively associated with permissive sexual attitudes, intentions
for future sexual activity and non-marital childbearing. Other risk behaviors have an impact as
well. When a teen’s friends are not attached to school, have poor grades, abuse drugs or
engage in delinquent behaviors, there is a greater likelihood that the teen will become sexually
active at an early age. It is interesting to note that it is not only the actual behavior of peers, but
the assumption of certain behaviors by peers, that influence adolescent sexual
activity. (Wertheimer, 2000; Kirby, 2001). The perception of normative sexual attitudes and
behavior is closely associated to the teen’s own attitudes and behavior. When teens believe –
correctly or not – that their peers are having sex, they are more likely to have sex. When teens
believe that their peers support contraceptive use, they are more likely to use contraception.
The effect of peer influence may depend on the teen’s other sources of information on sex.

Effects after pregnancy

Common Reasons behind Teenage Pregnancy in the Philippines, Oct 3rd, 2011;
“Teenagers could possibly become pregnant as a result of the deficiency of decent educational
programs, hindrances from being able to acquire birth control methods, sexual assault or rape,
economic reasons, and cultural rituals and that is usually handed from family to
another family. Teenage Pregnancy brings about life-changing outcomes and commitments.
Their studies and also ambitions will most likely be hampered as they will need to concentrate
their attention on parenting their child or supporting their new family.”
 The above literature is relevance to the study for after mentioning the possible factors
behind, it penetrated to the effects brought about by pregnancy against the school performance
of the teenagers which would be temporarily hampered or it could be reason of total separation
from school to give priority of rearing and parenting their incoming child.

Media and Teenage Pregnancy

The extent to which the media influences adolescent sexual behavior is a topic of
contentious debate. In the Philippines, many feel that images portrayed in television, movies,
song lyrics, videos, and advertising skew teens’ understanding of normative sexual behavior for
young people and do not present the consequences of sexual activity.

Mallory Villanueva 2000, “Teenage Pregnancy and the Media’s, Influence on Today’s
Youth,” stressed that the national campaign to prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy also
took notice and conducted a survey to find out how to show is influencing teens. Out of 1,008
young people, more than half watch the show and say it makes them more aware about their
own risk. Among those teens, 82 percent think the show helps reveal the challenges of teen
pregnancy. Maybe there is such a thing as feeding a trend in a positive way. Supplying teens
with knowledge and realistic views could help this curiosity that could eventually lead them
toward becoming another statistic themselves. So, in conclusion, teen pregnancy is a trend. But
if handled appropriately, it could be used to spread awareness and prevention to young teens
who are the most influenced. The media does send a lot of false images that do a lot to
influence young teens, “ a celebrity culture that down plays the hard work of motherhood; ever-
changing family structures that normalize non-traditional arrangements; children who live at
home longer than ever with parental support and aren’t expected, if they have kids of their own,
to marry the father. Hopefully as more media outlets are choosing to show teen pregnancy and
being a teen mom for what it really is, this will soon diminish the glamorization that teens seem
to be drawn to. So maybe one day, young girls will soon look up to the strong, independent
women and realize that they shouldn’t have to own nice things or have to be dependent on
someone be happy. They too can be successful, regardless of their race, income, etc. not just
do what they feel is expected of them and become hopeless. It’s funny to think that women were
once expected to marry and raise a family, right out of high school. Now it’s a fight to show
them they don’t have to choose that, they have other options and choices.

Economic Status and Teenage pregnancy

(K. Torres, September 2012- National campaign to prevent Teen and Unplanned
Pregnancy) Teenage pregnancy is occurring in an adolescent girl between the ages of 13 to 19.
Socioeconomic is one factor in which is the social-economic experiences that help mold one’s
personality, attitudes and lifestyle. It can also define regions and neighborhoods.
Socioeconomic factors also include the ethnicity, and sense of community.

Families with low economic status often have less success in preparing their young
children for school because they typically don’t have access to promote, support young
children’s development and provide them with everything they needed. Studies have shown that
girls raised in poverty, in single-parent homes, and by parents with lower levels of education are
more likely to be pregnant and to be teenage mothers.
 Teens often feel pressure to make friends and fit in their peers during adolescence.
Many times these teens let their friends influence their decision to have sex even though they
do not fully understand the consequences associated with it. Teenagers have sex as a way to
appear cool and sophisticated, but in some cases it ends up in unplanned teen pregnancy.

Statistical Method
From 2000 to 2010, the number of live births by teenage mothers in the Philippines rose
by more than 60 percent, latest data from the National Statistics Office showed.

As if this is not alarming enough, NSO data also revealed that the number of teenage
mothers who gave birth to their second (and third, fourth, and even their fifth) baby during their
teenage years likewise increased in the last 10 years, according to data presented at a press
conference in Quezon City on Monday by Carmelita Erica , administrator and civil registrar
general of the National Statistics Office.

A total of 207,898 mothers aged below 20 years old gave birth in 2010. In 2000,
however, this number was only 126,025, NSO said.
 This rise in statistics is also reflected in the 2011 annual report of the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA)-Philippines, which showed that teen pregnancy in the Philippines
went up by 70 percent from 114,205 in 1999 to 195,662 in 2009.

Statistics show that more and more female teenagers are giving birth and becoming
mothers at an early age. This is a global trend, but it is striking to note that in the ASEAN region,
the Philippines has the third highest teen pregnancy rate and is the only country in the region
where the rate is increasing, data from the National Youth Commission showed.
 Chapter 3

Methodology

The purpose of the study is to know what is the perception of Female Senior High in
Teenage Pregnancy. The objective of this chapter are to (1) describe the research
methodology of this study (2) explain the interview usage, and (3) describe the procedure used
in collecting data.

Research Design

In order to gather the necessary data, the researchers used qualitative method.
Qualitative method of research is an inductive approach, and it’s goal is to gain a deeper
understanding of a person's or group's experience (Myers, 1997). Qualitative researchers
seldom measure anything in the classical meaning of the natural sciences , but rather scan for
patterns in the data that create or reveal something new which furthers understanding
(Stenbacka, 2001). The terms “qualitative” and “quantitive” imply something about the type of
data that are collected. Thus, it may appear that the distinction between these two research
approaches lies solely in the data; qualitative research is concerned with text or other non-
numerical data, while quantitative research is concerned with numerical data. This distinction,
however, is only at the surface. The differences between the two are much deeper, and go to
the context in which the research is conducted (Bogdan, R.C. , & S.K. , 2006).

Research Participants

The participants for this study were 8 enrolled Female Senior High School Students in
Lasip National High School during the second semester of the school year 2019-2020 only.
They are gathered via convince sampling also known as snowball sampling. Snowball sampling
is where research participants recruit other participants for a test or study. It is also a non-
probability sampling method (Andale, 2016). The specific strand is diveded into three sections.
The researchers have therefore chosen random suggested students in Grade 11 and Grade 12
to conduct the interview unto.

Data Gathering Procedure

 The researchers conducted the interview through a direct interaction with individuals on
a one to one basis or individual interview. Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story
behind a participant’s experiences. The interview can pursue in-depth information around the
topic. Interviews may be useful as follow-up to certain respondents to questionnaires, e.g to
further investigate their responses (McNamara, 1999)

Research Instrument

The researchers designed a face-to-face or personal questionnaire instrument consisting

of 10 questions to assess their perception in teenage pregnancy considering their differences.
The questionnaire is designed to be semi-structured interview. It is often preceded by
observation, informal and unstructured interviewing in order to allow the researchers to develop
a keen understanding of the topic of interest necessary for developing relevant and meaningful
semi-structured questions (Bernard, 1988). Semi-structured interview is desired to obtain first
hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and
recommendation for the study (Sincero, S. 2012). Some of the questions that are will ask in the
interview are listed below:

1. What is your perception about teenage pregnancy?

2. What are the possible reason why a lot of teenagers get pregnant?
3. What do you think is the effect of being a teenage mom?
4. Do you think being pregnant early have a impact on that person? Why?
5. Why the number of teenage pregnancy in this generation is higher than previous
generation?
6. Does contraceptives is important mostly in teenagers? Why?
7. Just in case you got pregnant at your age, what would be the effect on you?
8. What are the struggles that teenage mom suffers?
9. What can you suggest to those teenagers who might also suffering teenage pregnancy?
10. How will you avoid to be pregnant early?