Using the theory of planned behavior to understand the motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents in Tigray, Ethiopia.

Henk Boer (1) , Haile Gebreeyesus Hadera (2) , Wilmad A.J.M. Kuiper (3)

1 Depertment of Psychology and Communication on Health and Risk
2 Department of Social and Pedagogical Sciences
3 Department of Curriculum Design & Educational Innovation

Various studies indicate that in Africa school- or university-based HIV prevention curricula can solve the existing constraints and can reduce the prevalence of sexual risk behaviour among adolescents. In this regard, effective HIV/AIDS prevention education would be problematic, if the needs of students are not served adequately. However, little attention has been given to the motivation of the students to learn about HIV/AIDS and about their preferences for HIV/AIDS curriculum design options. The aim of this study was to get insight into the determinants of the motivation of adolescents in Tigray, Ethiopia, to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention in their curriculum and to assess their preference for specific curriculum design options. Students from a major university in Tigray, Ethiopia, filled out a structured questionnaire, which assessed demographics, variables that according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour may be related to the motivation to learn, and their preference for the independent, carrier and integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum designs. Results indicated that students were on average highly motivated to learn about HIV/AIDS. The motivation to learn was primarily related to social norms. Self-efficacy to discuss HIV/AIDS in class was not related to the motivation to learn. The often discussed reluctance to discuss sexuality and condom use in curricula in sub Saharan Africa seems to be more related to existing negative social norms than to lack of self-efficacy. The students revealed a high preference for the independent, carrier and integrated curriculum design options. However, the highly motivated students were most attracted by the independent course design. This means that the needs of the highly motivated students seem to be best served by an independent course design.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Henk Boer, Haile Gebreeyesus Hadera, Wilmad A.J.M. Kuiper. Using the theory of planned behavior to understand the motivation to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents in Tigray, Ethiopia.. AIDS Care, 2007, 19 (07), pp.895-900. ⟨10.1080/09540120701203311⟩. ⟨hal-00513418⟩