Chapter 6: Skills to Change Student Attitudes Toward AIDS and Risky Behavior.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Chapter 6: Skills to Change Student Attitudes Toward AIDS and Risky Behavior.
Authors:	Tonks, Douglas
Source:	Teaching AIDS. 1997, p97-121. 25p.
Subject Terms:	Student attitudes, AIDS education, Sex education, Teacher-student communication, Age groups, Students' sexual behavior, AIDS awareness, HIV infections
Abstract:	This article addresses methods by which teachers can influence their students' attitudes and behaviors through instructing them on healthy behavior, helping them to recognize problem situations in which AIDS risks might arise, and presenting them with skills to protect themselves. Behavior will not change until beliefs and attitudes about safer behavior have shifted toward a more accepting position. Teachers can influence what students believe about HIV risk behavior through such approaches as teaching refusal skills to help students understand, recognize, and avoid high-risk situations, and disseminating accurate peer group statistics so students can understand that accepted peer norms are often wildly inflated. The first step in addressing attitudes is to help students clarify their individual viewpoints toward and beliefs about sexuality and drug use. Teachers can help their students recognize and acknowledge that sexual partners often have differing objectives toward physical pleasure and emotional attachment when seeking sexual activity. One method of helping adolescents free themselves of the herd mentality that generally surrounds sexuality is to clarify the actual levels of peer sexual activity. Teachers can also undermine adolescent peer pressure by encouraging their students to build their personal levels of self-esteem and self-confidence. For and Against is an activity that can help students recognize and alter their attitudes about sexual activity and the possibility of contracting HIV.
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	This article addresses methods by which teachers can influence their students' attitudes and behaviors through instructing them on healthy behavior, helping them to recognize problem situations in which AIDS risks might arise, and presenting them with skills to protect themselves. Behavior will not change until beliefs and attitudes about safer behavior have shifted toward a more accepting position. Teachers can influence what students believe about HIV risk behavior through such approaches as teaching refusal skills to help students understand, recognize, and avoid high-risk situations, and disseminating accurate peer group statistics so students can understand that accepted peer norms are often wildly inflated. The first step in addressing attitudes is to help students clarify their individual viewpoints toward and beliefs about sexuality and drug use. Teachers can help their students recognize and acknowledge that sexual partners often have differing objectives toward physical pleasure and emotional attachment when seeking sexual activity. One method of helping adolescents free themselves of the herd mentality that generally surrounds sexuality is to clarify the actual levels of peer sexual activity. Teachers can also undermine adolescent peer pressure by encouraging their students to build their personal levels of self-esteem and self-confidence. For and Against is an activity that can help students recognize and alter their attitudes about sexual activity and the possibility of contracting HIV.
ISBN:	9780415908757