Perceptions of Premarital Sex among Students at a Faith-Based University
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Abstract
In this study, the relationship between moral development activities and perceptions of premarital sex was investigated among students at a faith-based university. Information was gathered using survey questionnaires, distributed through the university intranet, and the data were analyzed using a statistical software package. Undergraduate students (N = 103) took part in the study. Most university students were against sex before marriage. Moral development activities taught them to abstain from premarital sex. Responses showed that the factor that most affected perceptions of premarital sex was the Internet. Movie/television viewing was also found to be an important factor that shaped perceptions of premarital sex. Moral development activities and perceptions of premarital sex were shown to be weakly related (r =.03). Further improvement of moral development activities is needed to help students understand the value of sex. Future research in this area could use qualitative approaches to examine the factors that influence perceptions of premarital sex.
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