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Evaluation of the High School Relationship Curriculum Connections: Dating and Emotions

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Abstract

Interest in relationship education for high school students has grown since the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 provided funding for Healthy Marriage Initiative programs. This study used a pretest and posttest design and measures of relationship knowledge and attitudes to evaluate a relationship curriculum taught in required health education classes to a sample of 139 students. Comparison of students’ pretest and posttest scores showed slight gains in knowledge about relationships. Analysis based on characteristics associated with risk and protective factors for relationship outcomes (gender, academic performance and parental divorce history) found significant differences. Implications for expanding high school relationship education and recommendations for social work involvement in these programs are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Note that sexual risk-taking behaviors were not examined in this study.

  2. The Connections: Dating and Emotions curriculum was revised in 2010. A separate curriculum, Connections: Relationships and Marriage, focuses on preparation for marriage. (See http://www.dibbleinstitute.org/magento/index.php/curricula/connections.html).

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Christine Sielski for her assistance with data collection and analysis. This research was supported in part by a grant from The Ohio Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. An earlier version of this article was presented as a workshop session of the National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter 2009 Annual Conference, October 29, 2009, Columbus, Ohio.

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  1. Department of Social Work, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Anne Sparks, Mingun Lee & Solveig Spjeldnes

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  1. Anne Sparks
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  3. Solveig Spjeldnes
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Correspondence to Anne Sparks.

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Sparks, A., Lee, M. & Spjeldnes, S. Evaluation of the High School Relationship Curriculum Connections: Dating and Emotions. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 29, 21–40 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-011-0244-y

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