The Study of the Cognitions, Attitudes and Practices of Early Dating among High School Students

Abstract

Dating in the Philippines today is not limited anymore to adults; young adolescents are already engaging in it. This phenomenon is usually seen among high school students as early as thirteen years old walking in malls with their dating partners and doing romantic activities as if they are already adults. Such actions, if ignored, often lead to early pregnancy which may put their education and future at risk. Hence, studying their cognitions, attitudes and practices on early dating will help prevent this trend and provide necessary interventions. To approach this problem, a survey was conducted among adolescents in the 4th level of high school in three different public schools in Quezon City. The respondents were chosen from the randomly selected sections of each school through the use of fishbowl lottery. The names of the schools were written on pieces of paper and were drawn randomly. This was repeated on the sections of each school that was obtained previously. An instrument was developed and pretested which measured variables such as socio-demographics, family-related variables, peer and media issues, as well as specific practices and attitudes towards dating. The chi-square statistics and analysis of variance were used in testing associations and significant differences between groups. The results revealed that out of 150 respondents, 54 percent were already dating and 64 percent engaged in romantic activities with 5.3 percent having actually engaged in penetrative sex. Furthermore, parents and peers proved to be significant factors affecting the dating behavior of adolescents with media as a facilitating determinant. In conclusion, this study provided several information on how to cope with today's adolescents regarding their dating activities. Thus, it is important for parents to guide their children and serve as role models in order for adolescents to opt the right path.