Contraceptive Services in South Africa

EHLERS, V. J., 2003. Adolescent mothersÆ utilization of contraceptive services in South Africa. International Council of Nurses, International Nursing Review, 58, 229-241.

(I) This study investigates South African adolescent mothersÆ knowledge of contraception, relating the information gained to why young women fail to utilize contraception and contraception services and so end up pregnant. Nurses are, of course, involved in every area of reproductive health. Therefore, the study is of great importance to nurses; however, this fact is not directly stated in the article. Rather, the only time nurses are directly discussed is to relate the information obtained from the research to nurses with moral objections to contraception (Ehlers 2003, p. 239).

(ii) Applied research is aimed at gaining knowledge and applying it to a particular phenomena or problem (National Science Foundation, Directorate of Social, Behavioral and Economic Services, 1996, 6 lines). This study fits this definition in that it hopes to enhance contraception services and utilization by adolescents using the information obtained through the undertaken research.

(I) The research did not make any statement of its research philosophy which relates to the researchÆs underlying assumptions about science and knowledge claims (see: Cresswell 1994, pp. 55-72).

(ii) The study utilizes a non-experimental, y

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ices. No research questions were formulated either, a clear flaw in the study because doing so would have provided more focus and would have allowed for a specific listing of each variable, a listing which, as noted earlier, was absent until the findings were actually reported. (ii) & (iii). N/A given the above answer. (iv) The study was non-experimental (Ehlers 2003, p. 232) and did not manipulate any of the variables studied. Therefore a division of these variables into Independent and Dependent factors would be inappropriate as these designations are reserved for experimental and/or quasi-experimental studies (Meltzoff 1998, pp. 12-23). Question 6 (I) & (ii) The population was identified and briefly described in terms of ethnicity, age, and time of delivery required for eligibility criteria. (iii) The research used a convenience sampling approach, justifying its use on the basis of an inability to trace adolescent mothers meeting eligibility criteria. Methods used to collect the sample were specified. This appeared to be the only method Ehlers could use but it was far from the best approach which would have been a random sampling approach in which every member of some specified population had an equal change of being chosen
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Approximate Word count = 2239
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)