Date of Award:

5-2017

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Department name when degree awarded

Family, Consumer, and Human Development

Committee Chair(s)

Kay Bradford

Committee

Kay Bradford

Committee

Linda Skogrand

Committee

Brian Higginbotham

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine if the information from the Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge (PICK) program How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk/ette helped positively change adolescents’ attitudes about relationships. The program was taught to 9,130 high school students (ages 14 -18) from 35 different high schools in a Western state.

Surveys were given at the beginning of the first class (pretest) and at the end of the final class (posttest). In addition to demographic information, students rated (1) their attitudes about what it takes to get to know a potential partner, (2) their belief that love alone is enough to sustain a relationship, (3) statements endorsing controlling relationship attitudes, and (4) how to pace a relationship in healthy ways. Pretest and posttest score averages were calculated, then compared statistically to determine if teen attitudes had changed in light of the information they learned in the class. Results showed significant change in all four measures, suggesting that the information taught in the class was associated with positively influencing participants’ relationship attitudes.

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