Independent evaluation of the SAPLER peer counselling programme
The impact evaluation relied on a questionnaire (see Appendix 3) administered to a sample of 671 grade 9 to 12 learners from 10 schools in the Soshanguve-Winterveld area. The questionnaire was designed in consultation with Sapler staff to measure knowledge, attitudes and behaviours relevant to safe sex. It was piloted with a group of approximately 30 learners and modified where items appeared to be ambiguous or difficult to understand.
With a view to comparing learners who have been exposed to the Sapler programme to those who have not, schools where Sapler pioneers were (or have been) active as well as schools not yet visited by pioneers were included in the sample.
To ensure maximal comparability between the two groups, 447 learners (181 from Sapler schools and 266 from non-Sapler schools) from similar grade levels were selected for inclusion in the final sample (see Appendix 1).
Learners from Sapler and non-Sapler schools were compared using four composite scales (see Appendix 2) which provided global measures of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. In addition, comparisons were made on each of the individual items of the questionnaire.
Student’s t test for independent samples was used to establish the statistical significance of continuous variables, cross tabulations were evaluated by means of the chi-squared test, and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the strength of association between continuous variables.