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.
