TEENAGE PREGNANCY: ITS EFFECT ON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF

STUDENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Presented to

Mrs. Teresita T. Denore,

Class Adviser

A partial fulfillment

For the requirement

Of English 10

Allizavil Joy P. Senajon

Jade Frances B. Asparin

Ronalyn P. Degit

March 20, 2017

 ABSTRACT

Jade Frances B. Asparin, Ronalyn P. Degit, and Allizavil Joy P. Senajon,

Grade 10-A, Kapatagan National High School, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, March

2017, “Teenage Pregnancy: Its effect on educational development of students in the

Philippines” Research paper adviser: Mrs. Teresita T. Denore.

This study attempts to determine the effects on educational development of

students in the Philippines regarding early pregnancy among high and low performing

students in terms of the causes, and effects. The naturalistic paradigm was used in the

study with varied tools to cross-check their responses.

Results show that aggressiveness, sexual urge, teenage angst, lack of parental

guidance, carelessness, mistake, reason to keep boyfriend/girlfriend, desire to become

mom/dad, benefits, family problems and uncontrolled emotions cause pregnancy

among teenagers. Teens who have already experienced teenage pregnancy are

majority of age level between 13-19 years old. Only few or 29% decided to pursue their

studies and only 19% were able to finish college. While 29% of pregnant teenagers

decided to pursue their studies, majority are out-of-school youth, who, after pregnancy

prefer to stay at home and take care of their babies. This also contributes to the effect

on educational development of students in the Philippines wherein it will likely decrease

due to the increase in drop outs of school.

Sex and sexuality education should not just be a concept but should be

developed further as a complete discipline and much more research should be

conducted to that regard.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers would like to express their profound gratitude to everyone, who

provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research and helped in making

this study possible;

To Mrs. Teresita T. Denore, for sharing her pearls of wisdom and sincere patience

and guidance that helped them throughout the course of study. Without her guidance

and persistence, this dissertation would not have been possible;

To the teachers, who exerted time in giving suggestions and comments for the

improvement of the research and for being there to show support and concern;

To their friends, classmates, relatives and parents, who in one way or another

shared their support, either morally, spiritually, financially and physically during the

period of study and their life in general;

And above all, to God Almighty, the author of knowledge and wisdom, for giving

them strength, wisdom, knowledge, and countless love that helped them overcome all

the challenges and difficulties all along the way.

 DEDICATION

We dedicate this work to our dearly loved parents,

friends, teachers, relatives and God.

Thank you for your never-ending

patience, support and

love.

Ronalyn

Jade

Angel
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGE

TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………………….. i

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………… ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……………………………………………………….…. iii

DEDICATION ………………………………………………………………………. iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………………... v

CHAPTER

I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE ……………………………... 1

Introduction…………………………………………………. 1

Statement of the Problem ………………………………… 3

Significance of the Study ………………………………… 3

Scope and Limitation of the Study ……………………… 4

Operational Definition of Terms ………………………… 4

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ……………………….. 5

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ………………………………… 8

Research Design ………..……………………………….. 8

Respondents …………………………………………….. 8

Research Instruments …………………………………... 9

Data Gathering Procedure ……………………………... 9

Statistical Tests …………………………………………. 10

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ……………………………….. 11

V. SUMARRY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS ……………………….………………… 17

VI. REFERENCES …………………………………………………... 21

VII. APPENDICES …………………………………………………… 22

 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Over the past few decades, teenage pregnancy has become a public concern

which has generated a great deal of attention in the locality. Increasing awareness of

the social and economic consequences of teenage pregnancy has led to a consensus

opinion among policy makers and the public that teenage pregnancy and child bearing

is a significant social problem. It has been linked to an array of other social issues, such

as welfare dependency, child health and well-being, out of wedlock births, fatherhood

responsibility, child abuse and neglect, school drop-out and workforce development

(Torrevillas, The Philippine Star, 2013).

According to the Kirsten Braun (2011) in Women’s Health Organization, teenage

pregnancy is generally defined as a pregnancy in a woman who is 19 years of age or

under.

In a report by Langham (2015), the most major causes of teenage pregnancy are

peer pressure, absence of parents, lack of knowledge, sexual abuse, teenage drinking

and glamorization of pregnancy by the media and movie industries.

This considered a “social ill” in the Philippines and has always challenged moral

and ethical sensibilities. Almost every year there is a rapid increase on the number of

pregnant youths. The report by the United Nations says the Philippines topped the
regional list of Asian countries that continued to have the greatest number of teenage

pregnancies.

In relation to this problem, the Philippine government is now working on the

Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) as one of the most effective solution not only to

teenage pregnancy but also to the increasing population of our country.

Some agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

and Department of Education (DepEd) also introduced some strategies to minimize the

increasing cases of pregnancy as observed after a decade in the Philippines. By

steering sex education to students, they will be more knowledgeable about bodily

development, sex, sexuality and relationships along with skills-building to help young

people communicate about and make informed decisions regarding sex and their sexual

health (Bridges & Hauser, 2014).

Religious sectors are also showing concerns about the teenagers by intensifying

the activities at the church and detour their interest while they are still young and not yet

prepare to face the consequences brought about early sex. The churches now are also

don’t want to left behind on nurturing the youths by instilling to their minds that early

sex out of wed luck has consequences and the consequences hurt more than waiting.

The researchers are hopeful that after the study, they can gain important data

and information from the community, teachers and students on how to minimize

teenage pregnancy in students and share the knowledge they gained to educate other

students as well.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aimed to look into the effects of teenage pregnancy to the educational

development of students in the Philippines. Particularly it aims to answer the following

problems:

1. What are the main reasons of teenage pregnancy among the students in the

Philippines?

2. Which among these reasons of teenage pregnancy affects most to students?

3. How does pregnancy affect the educational development of students?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Teenage pregnancy is an important public health problem as it often occurs in

the context of poor social support and maternal well-being (Smith & Pell, 2015). This in

turn, has contributed to several students’ failure or poor performance in school and has

affected mostly their whole lives.

Hence, the researchers conducted this study to aid and find out the extent of

major causes of teenage pregnancy to the educational development of students in the

Philippines. The result of this study is beneficial to students and out-of-school youth, to

the parents, teachers, to the community, school administrators, researchers and other

interested individuals because this can serve as empirical data where suggestion of

minimizing teenage pregnancy in the community can be taken.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

 The main focus of this study was to know the extent of major and common

causes of teenage pregnancy with the educational development of students in the

Philippines.

The study is limited to students who have been pregnant at their teens (12-19)

years old and living in the Philippines.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Educational Development. Is the possible trend, progress on their school performance

of students or out-of-school youth/teenagers who have been pregnant.

Sex Education. It refers to learning the external conditions such as psychological,

sociological, economic and social factors that affect the personality, behavior and

development of a boy to manhood and fatherhood and a girl to motherhood as well as

with human reproduction.

Social Ill. It refers to teenage pregnancy as a huge problem in the society.

Teenage Pregnancy. A pregnancy in a woman who is 19 years of age or under.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

 For the purpose of gaining further insights on the content of this study, related

literature and similar studies are sighted by the researchers in this chapter.

Related Literature

Teenage pregnancy is not like any other issue there in the whole world although

it seems to be a common concern, it does not seem to bother people that much. Not

until they are personally affected by the issue or until they finally realized that it had

been increasing in number of affected people that it slowly reached an abnormal stage

or the point that it affected too many lives already and too many aspects of living

(Gopez, n.d.).

Pregnancy statistics for teens show that almost 750,000 teenage girls become

pregnant each year; almost 60% of these pregnancies result in births. In fact, around

30% of women have been pregnant at least once by the time they reach their twentieth

birthday. Less than 20% of these pregnancies were intentional (Brooks, n.d.).

While teenage pregnancy is a problem in many parts of the world, country

representative Klaus Beck revealed that the results show one in 10 Filipino girls, from

ages 15 to 19--about 10 percent of the Filipino population of 100 million--have already

given birth. (Perez, 2016).

According to Hor (2014), reasons for becoming pregnant among teenagers

include: unplanned sexual encounters (“getting caught up in the moment”) and peer

pressure; lack of information on safe sex; breakdown of family life and lack of good

female role models in the family; and absence of accessible, adolescent-friendly clinics.

Teenagers from poor backgrounds are disproportionately represented among pregnant

teenagers. However, experts have argued that teenage pregnancy should be

understood as a symptom of dire economic conditions rather than a cause of it.

Teenage pregnancy perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality because most

pregnant teenagers have no source of income and face greater financial difficulties later

in life. This is because they drop out of school and are less likely to pursue further

education or skills training.

Teenage mothers face critical medical risks, including: inadequate nutrition during

pregnancy due to poor eating habits; dangers associated with the reproductive organs

not ready for birth; postpartum depression; and maternal death due to higher risk of

eclampsia, among others.

Teenage pregnancy as a social problem leads to the disruption of schooling; poor

obstetric outcomes, inadequate mothering; poor child outcomes; relationship difficulties

with relatives, partners and peers; and demographic concerns about increasing

population numbers. In major cases, teenage mothers are not in a position to go back to

school after delivery as they are forced to look after their children. In some cases, these

young mothers’ physical health conditions do not make it conducive for

them to go back to school (Macleod & Durrheim, 2002).

According to Mangel (2010), pregnancy is the #1 reason girls drop out of school.

Approximately 70% of teenage girls who give birth leave school. More than any other

group of high school dropouts, girls who leave due to pregnancy report that they would

have stayed in school if they had received greater support from the adults at school.

Illegal discrimination against these girls by school administrators, teachers, counselors

and fellow students is a major contributing factor to their high dropout rates. Also,
research shows that when schools make an effort to support pregnant girls in their

education, they can have a significant impact in lowering their drop-out rates.

In an article in Pregnant Teen Drop Out Rate (n.d.) pregnant teens have many

pressures that may cause them to drop out of high school: Dealing with morning

sickness and other side effects of pregnancy, feeling insecure about their changing

appearance; stigmas against pregnant teens from their peers as well as teachers,

administrators, and other students’ parents; being subjected to bullying or sexual

harassment, inadequate support or encouragement to stay in school, lack of day care

after the baby is born, needing to find a job to support their new baby and multiple

pregnancies during their teen years.

According to data collected, lack of accurate information on sex education is one

of the reasons for the increasing number of unwanted pregnancies among teenagers.

However, a strategy can also be successful only when a multi-agency task group is

formed with representatives that provide services and work closely with children and the

youth to educate them regarding sex education and teenage pregnancy. Hence might

result to a decrease in the cases of unwanted teenage pregnancy in the country.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 This chapter presents the procedures in the conduct of the study. It comprises

the research design, the respondents, research instrument, data gathering procedure

and statistical tests in the foregoing study.

Research Design

The descriptive-qualitative method was utilized in this research. Certain

questions were designed to draw out responses from chosen respondents on specific

information regarding the teenage pregnancy problems in the Philippines. A literature

search of articles was also carried out using the keywords, “teen pregnancy”, “teenage

pregnancy”, “adolescent pregnancy” and “Philippines”.

Respondents of the study

The respondents of this study were selected teenage students that are currently

living in the Philippines. They were chosen to observe and provide vital information

about teenage pregnancy problems and its educational development in the Philippines.

The respondents of the study are those whose ages range from 12 to 19 years

old who has already observed teenage pregnancy problems in the country.

The local government has programs for the moral and economic development of

the youth but still lacks implementation thus creating problems among teenagers.

The Research Instrument

 The researchers prepared self-made questionnaires to gather data of the present

study. The following were the instruments used in the data gathering:

1. Part I

A 21-item questionnaire that deals with their observations in pregnant teenagers

in the community was constructed by the researchers to collect data regarding the

teenage pregnancy problems in the Philippines. This also includes their opinions about

teenage pregnancy – specifically, contraception, morning pills, sex education and many

more.

2. Part II

The second part questions the respondents’ opinion about teenagers who get

pregnant and what they think is its effect on the educational development of students.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers sought permission from selected students of Kapatagan

National High School to be the respondents of the survey. Numerous responses were

also acquired from students in several places in the Philippines using social media and

e-mail as means of communication.

Furthermore, the researchers also gathered data from the National Statistics

Office (NSO) for pertinent data of teenage pregnancy cases in the country from the year

Statistical Test
 The researchers used the following statistical treatment to interpret and analyze

the data:

1. Step-Wise Regression Analysis was employed to analyze which among the

major causes of teenage pregnancy greatly affect the respondents’ educational

development.

2. Frequency and Percentage was used to determine the data collected from the

respondents which answers the questions in Part I, numbers 1-21.

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

 This chapter presents the findings, analysis and interpretation of data gathered.

Presentation of data follows the sequence in the statement of problem found in the

study.

Table 1 to 5 presents the data gathered by the researchers during the phase of

the study.

Table 1 Observations on teenage pregnancy

Question
Yes No Neither Total

1. Do you know someone who has already experienced teenage

100% 0% 0% 100%
pregnancy?

2. Did she choose to pursue her studies? 29% 71% 0% 100%

3. Is her family supporting the needs of her child? 86% 14% 0% 100%

4. Can she provide the needs of her child? 14% 86% 0% 100%

5. Did she finish her college? 19% 81% 0% 100%

6. Does she have profession? 19% 81% 0% 100%

7. Do you think abortion is acceptable? 0% 100% 0% 100%

8. If you answered yes, do you think it is acceptable to have an

0% 57% 43% 100%
abortion for an unwanted pregnancy simply because of young age?

Table 1 shows that majority of the respondents know someone who has already

experienced teenage pregnancy in the areas of the Philippines, 21% of those they know

were able to pursue their studies while those who didn’t had a total of 71%. This means

that pregnant teenagers in the Philippines are more likely to drop out of school than

pursuing their studies. 86% of those they know have families supporting the needs of
her child while 14% didn’t since it was gathered that 86% of pregnant teens in the

Philippines can’t provide the needs of her child and only 14% of them can, hence they

believe that teenage mothers only depend on the support of their families. On the other

hand, pregnant teens who completed college and have a profession had the same

number of percentage with 19% and 81% of those who don’t.

Table 2 Satisfaction survey results

Question Number of Strongly Strongly

Agree Disagree Total
number respondents Agree Disagree

9. 21 1% 14% 33% 52% 100%

10. 21 0% 29% 42% 29% 100%

11. 21 0% 38% 38% 24% 100%

12. 21 71% 19% 5% 5% 100%

13. 21 0% 33% 67% 0% 100%

14. 21 10% 57% 33% 0% 100%

15. 21 10% 48% 24% 18% 100%

16. 21 0% 85% 10% 5% 100%

17. 21 5% 38% 57% 0% 100%

18. 21 5% 48% 38% 9% 100%

19. 21 0% 47% 48% 5% 100%

20. 21 14% 62% 23% 1% 100%

21. 21 9% 57% 33% 1% 100%

Based on the table, majority of the respondents answered strongly disagree to

question number 9 wherein it is the girl’s responsibility only to take care of the
contraception to avoid pregnancy. This means that not only it is the girl’s responsibility

but also the boy if ever they will have an unplanned/planned sexual intercourse. In

question number 10, most of the respondents also opposed to the availability of

contraception for young people under the age of 16 without parental consent with a

number of 42% responses. While on number 11, an equal number of percentages were

gathered in both agree and disagree wherein “Morning After” pill should continue to be

available for teenagers without prescription and parental consent. In question number

12, a total of 71% respondents agree that teenage pregnancy is a problem which needs

to be tackled. And on question number 13, it shows that respondents disagree that sex

education encourages sexual activity. In numbers 14-16, majority of the respondents

answered agree wherein in question number 14 the availability of birth control and

abortion is a major cause of increased sexual activity among teenagers. This

demonstrates that aside from the common causes of teenage pregnancy, the ongoing

selling of birth control pills encourage teenagers to engage in sexual intercourse since

they expect pregnancy can be terminated by using these medications. In question

number 15, 48% of the respondents agree that being a good mother is not a matter of

age. And in question 16, 85% of the respondents agree that tens of thousands of young

girls get pregnant because they actively choose to do so. This means that several

teenage pregnancy cases in the Philippines is a matter of choice and sometimes not

unplanned. Meanwhile, in number 17, a total of 57% respondents disagree that having a

teenager as a baby might not necessarily lead to a poor outcome for the mother and

baby.
 For questions 18-21, 48% of the respondents agree that teenage mothers are

less likely to finish their education, while 48% of the respondents disagree that teenage

mothers are less likely to find a good job. On the other hand, 62% of the respondents

agree that they are more likely to end up as single parents and are more likely to end up

bringing up their children in poverty with 57% of the respondents agreeing on the

statement.

For question number 22, the researchers asked the respondents their opinions

regarding teenage pregnancy and what do they think is its effect to their educational

development.

According to the respondents, several teens get pregnant because they let

sexual hunger over take their minds, others are also result of carelessness and prioritize

their relationship with their boyfriends/girlfriends more rather than focusing on their

studies. They also added that it is due to peer pressure and sometimes the desire to

keep their beau so they choose to engage in sexual activity rather than being left

behind. Several also stated that it is the result of lack of parental guidance and family

problems. Due to these reasons, most of the respondents answered that the effect of

educational development of students in the Philippines will likely decrease since

pregnant teenagers choose to drop out of school due to embarrassment and

discrimination by the people hence it will lessen the literacy rate of the Philippines.

Other reason is to take care of their child and work to sustain their needs. Meanwhile,

the most common answer the respondents have gathered is that teenage moms need

to take the responsibility and pursue their studies despite its negative effect.

Carelessness 30%
 Mistake 28%
To keep boyfriend/girlfriend 23%
Others 14%
Benefits 3%
Want to become mom/dad 2%
Total 100%
Table 3 Main causes of teenage pregnancy

Table 3 shows the main causes of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines.

According to the data gathered, the highest main cause of teenage pregnancy is the

carelessness of teenagers with a total of 30% followed by mistake with 28%, reason to

keep boyfriend/girlfriend with 23%, and others which includes sexual urge, family

problems, uncontrolled emotion, teenage angst, and aggressiveness (as what the

respondents has specified) with a total of 14%, followed by benefits with 3% and lastly

the desire to become mom/dad with 2%.

Table 4 How teens should handle the situation as teen mom/dad

Have and keep the baby 85%

Terminate the pregnancy 10%
Give up the baby for adoption 5%
Others 0%
Total 100%

From the data gathered in table 4, respondents suggest that teenage moms/dads

should have and keep the baby, while 10% of the respondents suggest to terminate the

pregnancy and 5% think that it is highly desirable to give up the baby for adoption.

Table 5 Who takes the responsibility if a girl becomes pregnant

Girl’s herself 0%
Boy’s 0%
Both but more of a girl’s 52%
Both but more of a boy’s 15%
Others 33%
Total 100%

Table 5 presents the data gathered which answers the question “Who takes the

responsibility if a girl becomes pregnant?”. According to the results, 52% of the

respondents agree that it is both the responsibility of the girl and the boy but more of the

girl’s, followed by 33% of the respondents who answered ‘others’ in which they specified

that it is equally the boy and the girl’s responsibility if a girl becomes pregnant and lastly

15% from the respondents agree that it is both the responsibility of the girl and the boy

but more of the boy’s.

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of findings regarding the study “Teenage

Pregnancy: Its effect on educational development of students in the Philippines”. This

chapter also highlights the conclusion and recommendations of the study.

Summary of findings
 The following are the findings of the study:

1. According to the respondents, pregnant teenagers they know have the majority

of age level between 13-19 years old. Only few or 29% decided to pursue their

studies and only 19% were able to finish college. While 29% of pregnant

teenagers decided to pursue their studies, majority are out-of-school youth, who,

after pregnancy prefer to stay at home and take care of their babies. This also

contributes to the effect on educational development of students in the

Philippines wherein it will likely decrease due to the increase in drop outs of

school.

2. The researchers were also able to identify the perception of the respondents on

the main reasons of teenage pregnancy in terms of the following factors:

carelessness which gathered 30% of the responses, mistake with 28%, to keep

boyfriend/girlfriend with 23%, others (including aggressiveness, family problems,

uncontrolled emotion, teenage angst and sexual urge) with 24%, benefits with

3% and reason to become mom/dad with 2%.

3. Data also showed that 57% of the respondents agree that the availability of birth

control and abortion is a major cause of increased sexual activity among

teenagers. This demonstrates that aside from the major reasons of teenage

pregnancy, the ongoing selling of birth control pills encourage teenagers to

engage in sexual intercourse since they expect pregnancy can be terminated by

using these medications.

 4. Majority of the respondents believe that being a good mother is not a matter of

age. However 57% of the respondents disagree that having a teenager as a baby

might not necessarily lead to a poor outcome for the mother and baby.

5. The respondents suggested that teens should handle the situation as teen mom/

dad by having and keeping the baby since it gathered a total of 85% of the

responses while 10% believed it’s better to terminate the pregnancy and 5%

believed that it is better to give up the baby for adoption.

6. 52% of the respondents also believed that it is both the responsibility of the boy

and the girl but more of the girl’s if a girl becomes pregnant.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, it is clearly shown that the respondents

perception on the main reasons of teenage pregnancy are the following: lack of parental

guidance, aggressiveness, sexual urge, teenage angst, carelessness, mistake, reason

to keep boyfriend/girlfriend, benefits, desire to become mom/dad, uncontrolled emotions

and family problems. The data likewise showed that teenagers learned about sex from

pornographic magazines, television and internet and since parents work outside the

homes, teenagers are left alone with barkadas and friends at home hanging out

together thus more likely indulge in premarital sex. The community was also considered

as one factor that may cause teen-age pregnancy. Many community elders gamble and

drink, and their drinking spree becomes the usual sight teenagers see among their

elders every day.

Recommendations

Having identified the effects of teenage pregnancy on the educational

development of students in the Philippines, the researchers would like to pose the

following recommendations:

1. Strengthen the collaboration between parents and school to guide the teenagers,

parents and school to guide the teenagers the dangers of indulging in pre-marital

sex especially that they are still studying. Likewise it is recommended that during

PTC/PTA Meetings, the parents must be informed to closely monitor their

children.

2. The School Administration should strengthen its homeroom and guidance

program, so that teenagers will be given information and counseling regarding

boy-girl relationship.

3. The teachers, especially class advisers must act as the second parents to

teenagers especially those in need of parental guidance.

4. Involve the community in giving teenagers good models of values and character.

Local officials should pass ordinances to prohibit teenagers from taking alcoholic

drinks, cigarettes and the dangers of drugs.

5. The school curricula must not only integrate values in all subject areas but also

information about the reproductive organs.

 6. Education programs should be designed to address pressing and urgent

concerns regarding teen-age pregnancy and collaborate with other agencies like

DSWD and Health Care Units to help teenagers avoid premarital sex and live a

healthy life style.

7. Local communities should provide recreational programs and facilities to give

teenagers gainful and wholesome activities.

REFERENCES

Bridges, E. & Hauser D. (2014). Youth Health and Rights in Sex Education. Retrieved
February 20, 2017 from https://www.futureofsexed.org/youthhealthrights.html

Braun, K. (2011). Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved February 20, 2017 from

https://www.womhealth.org.au/pregnancy-and-parenting/teenage-pregnancy
Gopez, M. (n.d.). Chapter I Related Literature Teenage Pregnancy Local. Retrieved
March 10, 2017 from
http://www.academia.edu/10611907/CHAPTER_I_RELATED_LITERATURE_TEENAGE
_PREGNANCY_Related_Literature_LOCAL

Hor, C. (2014). Teenage pregnancy among today’s Filipino youth. Retrieved March 2,
2017 from http://opinion.inquirer.net/74517/teenage-pregnancy-among-todays-filipino-
youth

Langham, R. Y. (2015). What Are the Causes of Teenage Pregnancy?. Retrieved

February 20, 2017 from https://www.livestrong.com/article/146681-what-are-the-causes-
of-teenage-pregnancy/

Macleod, C., & Durrheim, K. (2002). Racializing teenage pregnancy: 'culture' and
'tradition' in the South African scientific literature. Retrieved March 2, 2017 from
http://www.academia.edu/8898209/Macleod_C._and_Durrheim_K._2002_._Racializing_
teenage_pregnancy_culture_and_tradition_in_the_South_African_scientific_literature

Mangel, L. (2010). Teen Pregnancy, Discrimination, and the Dropout Rate. Retrieved
March 14, 2017 from https://www.aclu-wa.org/blog/teen-pregnancy-discrimination-and-
dropout-rate

Perez, R. (2016). Report: One in 10 Filipino Girls Aged 15 to 19 Is Already a Mom.

Retrieved March 2, 2017 from http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/news/one-in-10-
filipino-girls-age-15-to-19-already-mom-a00041-20160708

Pregnant Teen Drop Out Rate. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2017 from
http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/statistics/pregnant-teen-drop-out-rate/

Smith G. C., & Pell J. P. (2001). Teenage pregnancy and risk of adverse perinatal
outcomes associated with first and second births: population based retrospective cohort
study. BMJ ;323(7311):476

Torrevillas, D. M. (2013). Teenage pregnancy on the rise. Retrieved March 20, 2017
from http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/07/11/963984/teenage-pregnancy-rise
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

A questionnaire about teenage pregnancy in the Philippines for high school

students

(Reference: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YSCWNQS)
 Name: _________________________________________ Grade & Section: ________

o Objectives

In this activity, you should be able to:

1. Observe the teenage pregnancy problems in the community,

2. Discover the main reasons of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines

3. Know the effect of teenage pregnancy on educational development of

students, and;

4. Provide comments and suggestions

o Materials

Activity Sheet

I. Instruction: Check the box that indicates your response to each question

Yes No

1. Do you know someone who has already

experienced teenage pregnancy?

2. Did she choose to pursue her studies?

3. Is her family supporting the needs of her

child?

4. Can she provide the needs of her child?

5. Did she finish her college?

6. Does she have profession?

7. Do you think abortion is acceptable?

8. If you answered yes, do you think it is

acceptable to have an abortion for an unwanted

pregnancy simply because of young age?

Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree

9. To what extent do you agree that it is the girl’s

responsibility only to take care of the

contraception to avoid pregnancy?

10. To what extent do you agree that

contraception should be available for young

people under the age of 16 without parental

consent?

11. To what extent do you agree that the

“Morning After” pill (that prevents contraception

from occurring) should continue to be available

for teenagers without a prescription and parental

consent?

12. To what extent do you think that teenage

pregnancy is a problem which needs to be

tackled?

13. To what extent do you agree with the

statement that sex education encourages

underage sexual activity?

14. To what extent do you agree that the

availability of birth control and abortion is a major

cause of increased sexual activity among

teenagers?

15. To what extent do you agree that being a

good mother is not a matter of age?

16. To what extent do you agree or disagree with

the statement: “Tens of thousands of young girls

get pregnant every year because they actively

choose to do so. And of the most obvious

reasons they make that choice is because the

rest of us – through the state – make it worth

their while”?

17. To what extent do you agree or disagree

with the statement: “While it might not be an

ideal situation, having a baby as teenager might

not necessarily lead to a poor outcome for the

mother and baby”?

18-21. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements on teenage

mothers? Teenage mothers are:

18. Less likely to finish their education

19. Less likely to find a good job

20. More likely to end up as single parents

21. More likely to end up bringing up their

children in poverty

II. Questions

22. What is your opinion about teenagers who get pregnant? And what do you think is
its effect on the educational development of students?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

23. In your opinion, what is the main reason why teenagers get pregnant or get

someone pregnant? (check the blank that corresponds to your answer)

Mistake _____

Carelessness _____

To keep boyfriend/girlfriend _____

Benefits _____
Want to become mom/dad _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________

24. In your opinion, how should a pregnant teenager handle the situation?

Have and keep the baby _____

Terminate the pregnancy _____

Give up the baby for adoption _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________

25. In your opinion, whose responsibility it is if a girl becomes pregnant?

Girl’s herself` _____

Boy’s _____

Both but more of a girl’s _____

Both but more of a boy’s _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________

APPENDIX B

Sample Answered Questionnaire Sheet

Name: _________________________________________ Grade & Section: ________

 I. Instruction: Check the box that indicates your response to each question

Yes No

1. Do you know someone who has already

experienced teenage pregnancy?

2. Did she choose to pursue her studies?

3. Is her family supporting the needs of her

child?

4. Can she provide the needs of her child?

5. Did she finish her college?

6. Does she have profession?

7. Do you think abortion is acceptable?

8. If you answered yes, do you think it is

acceptable to have an abortion for an unwanted

pregnancy simply because of young age?

Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree

9. To what extent do you agree that it is the girl’s

responsibility only to take care of the

contraception to avoid pregnancy?

10. To what extent do you agree that

contraception should be available for young

people under the age of 16 without parental

consent?

11. To what extent do you agree that the

“Morning After” pill (that prevents contraception

from occurring) should continue to be available

for teenagers without a prescription and parental

consent?

12. To what extent do you think that teenage

pregnancy is a problem which needs to be

tackled?

13. To what extent do you agree with the

statement that sex education encourages

underage sexual activity?

14. To what extent do you agree that the

availability of birth control and abortion is a major

cause of increased sexual activity among

teenagers?

15. To what extent do you agree that being a

good mother is not a matter of age?

16. To what extent do you agree or disagree with

the statement: “Tens of thousands of young girls

get pregnant every year because they actively

choose to do so. And of the most obvious

reasons they make that choice is because the

rest of us – through the state – make it worth

their while”?

17. To what extent do you agree or disagree

with the statement: “While it might not be an

ideal situation, having a baby as teenager might

not necessarily lead to a poor outcome for the

mother and baby”?

18-21. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements on teenage

mothers? Teenage mothers are:

18. Less likely to finish their education

19. Less likely to find a good job

20. More likely to end up as single parents

21. More likely to end up bringing up their

children in poverty

II. Questions

22. What is your opinion about teenagers who get pregnant? And what do you think is
its effect on the educational development of students?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

23. In your opinion, what is the main reason why teenagers get pregnant or get

someone pregnant? (check the blank that corresponds to your answer)

Mistake _____
Carelessness _____

To keep boyfriend/girlfriend _____

Benefits _____

Want to become mom/dad _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________

24. In your opinion, how should a pregnant teenager handle the situation?

Have and keep the baby _____

Terminate the pregnancy _____

Give up the baby for adoption _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________

25. In your opinion, whose responsibility it is if a girl becomes pregnant?

Girl’s herself` _____

Boy’s _____

Both but more of a girl’s _____

Both but more of a boy’s _____

Others (please specify) ___________________________________________________