Date of Award

6-12-2006

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

First Advisor

Kathleen Gershman

Abstract

This study examined high school freshmen's perceptions of teen pregnancy and infant simulators such as Baby Think It Over. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of teens who take home Baby Think It Over for a weekend and any and all changes in their perspective toward teen parenting. The participants in this study elected to take a comprehensive Family and Consumer Science course which required students to take home Baby Think It Over or complete an alternate assignment. This qualitative study consisted of three tape-recorded interviews with each of twelve participants, and one interview with a thirteenth participant. The interviews took place before, immediately after, and approximately two weeks after the participants spent a weekend taking care of Baby Think It Over. Documents created by the participants during their weekend with Baby Think It Over were also analyzed, including pre- and post-simulation questionnaires, diaries of events, journals in which they recorded their thoughts during the weekend, printed reports on how well they took care of Baby Think It Over, and completed grading sheets for the project. The results of this study indicate that: (1) Participants perceive caring for a child as a tiring, frustrating, yet sometimes fun experience that makes significant changes in their lives. (2) Participants believe that, whether they had Baby Think It Over or a real child, it would significantly affect their relationships with their peers. (3) Participants' attitudes toward teen sex, teen pregnancy, and teen parenting are strongly affected by a variety of other people and entities. The overall assertion is: The participants' experience with Baby Think It Over reinforced their plans to wait to have children. The participants see it as a "good experience" and do not regret having taken it home. Many view it as an "experiment" or a safe way of seeing if they could handle being a teen parent. Although they did not necessarily like it at the time, they would make the same choice over again, and feel it is important for others to take home Baby Think It Over.

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