A Study on the Awareness, Attitudes and Readiness of Pre-Service Teachers towards Sexual Education in Selangor, Malaysia

This study aims to examine the awareness, attitude and readiness of pre-service teachers in a public university located in Selangor, Malaysia towards sexual education. Despite the increasing concerns over sexual health issues in Malaysia, there is a lack of research focusing on the preparedness of pre-service teachers to deliver sexual education. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the factors influencing their awareness, attitudes, and readiness. The readiness of pre-service teachers is assessed based on the preparation of pre-service teachers in terms of awareness and attitude, mental and physical readiness towards sexual education. The study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey method using a questionnaire comprising Likert scale with questions analysed on the mean value and standard deviation. The sample of the study consisted of 113 pre-service teachers majoring in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Health from Faculty of Education at University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Selangor. The study showed that the pre-service teachers from those four (4) courses have a high level of awareness, attitude and readiness towards sexual education. Comparing the difference exists between gender by using independent sample t-test, it showed that there is no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers in the level awareness, attitude and readiness towards sexual education. An independent sample t-test revealed no significant difference in awareness, attitude, and readiness between male and female pre-service teachers. Similarly, ANOVA tests indicated no significant difference based on age and course of study. Finally, a Pearson-Correlation test demonstrated a significant relationship between awareness, attitude, and readiness towards sexual education.