, 2005). Second, since they found that objective and perceived knowledge are not always concordant, they suggest that further studies in this vein measure objective and perceived knowledge, rather than only objective knowledge (Rock et al., 2005). Third, they surmise that "an illusion of knowing can act as a barrier to low-risk behavior" (Rock et al., 2005, p. 670), and further, that a high perceived knowledge, if inaccurate, can prevent one from learning accurate information, as it causes one to be less receptive and to forego learning opportunities (Rock et al., 2005). Finally, Rock et al.'s (2005) results identify a group who is at a higher risk than others, and serves as a guide for possible sexual education focus in the future.
Eisenberg et al.'s (2004) study, which focuses on the accuracy of parents' beliefs about sex, can be used in concordance with Rock et al.'s (2005) study to address communication about sex within the family...
In a similar vein, Ali, Cleland & Shah's (2004) study, while focused solely on
developing countries, also presents a valuable set of information that family planning and sexual education services can use to quell the frequency of unwanted
pregnancy as well as the spread of HIV. Of all the studies, Rock et al.'s (2005) seemed the most comprehensive and useful; Ali, Cleland & Shah's (2004) simply concluding that their results were disappointing and that
condoms may become more necessary in the future, and Eisenberg et al.'s concluding, generally, that
society should educate parents. However, all three studies bring to light the idea that sexual education, in general, needs to be refined, retargeted, and bolstered.
References
Ali, Mohammed M., Cleland, John, & Shah, Iqbal…
