The Effectiveness of a Child-Centered Learning Approach as a Nursing Intervention in Improving Adolescents’ Knowledge about Early Marriage: A Quasi-Experimental Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32382/medkes.v21i1.2050Kata Kunci:
Child-centered learning, early marriage, health education, children, public healthAbstrak
Early marriage remains a significant public health concern with adverse consequences for adolescents’ health, education, and psychosocial development. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of child-centered learning Approach as a nursing intervention in improving adolescents’ knowledge regarding early marriage. A quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest control group design was conducted in Borongloe Subdistrict, Bontomarannu District, Gowa Regency. A total of 100 adolescents aged 15–18 years participated in the study and were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50). The intervention group received health education based on a Child-Centered Learning Approach that emphasized active learner engagement, collaborative learning, critical thinking, problem-solving activities, and the use age-appropriate educational materials. The control group received conventional lecture-based health education. Adolescents’ regarding early marriage was measured before and after the intervention using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for within-group comparisons and the Mann–Whitney U test for between-group comparisons. The mean knowledge score in the intervention group increased from 55.44 to 87.00, while the control group showed only a slight change from 58.00 to 75.36. Statistical analysis showed a significant improvement in knowledge scores among adolescents in the intervention group after receiving child-centered learning–based health education (p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant change was observed in the control group. Comparative analysis between the two groups revealed a statistically significant difference in post-test knowledge scores (p < 0.001), indicating the effectiveness of the child-centered learning approach. These findings indicate that health education delivered through a child-centered learning approach can significantly improve adolescents’ knowledge regarding early marriage.
Referensi
1. Anisa AN, et al. Determinants of child marriage in Indonesia: a systematic review. J Community Med Public Health Res. 2024;5(2). Available from: https://jcmphr.com/index.php/jcmphr
2. Yoosefi Lebni J, Solhi M, Ebadi Fard Azar F, Khalajabadi Farahani F, Irandoost SF. Exploring the consequences of early marriage: a conventional content analysis. Inquiry. 2023;60:1–12. doi:10.1177/00469580231155607
3. UNICEF. Child marriage: a global overview. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund; 2021.
4. Feyissa GT, Tolu LB, Soboka M, Ezeh A. Effectiveness of interventions to reduce child marriage and teen pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of quantitative evidence. Front Reprod Health. 2023;5:1123456. doi:10.3389/frph.2023.1123456
5. Greene ME, Siddiqi M, Abularrage TF. Systematic scoping review of interventions to prevent and respond to child marriage across Africa: progress, gaps and priorities. BMJ Open. 2023;13(5):e069123. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069123
6. Singh M, Shekhar C, Gupta J. Distribution and determinants of early marriage and motherhood: a multilevel and geospatial analysis of 707 districts in India. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2844. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-19061-5
7. Setiadi S. Getting married is a simple matter: early marriage among Indonesian Muslim girls in rural Java. JSW (Jurnal Sosiologi Walisongo). 2021;5(2):143–154. doi:10.21580/jsw.2021.5.2.7091
8. Reisz T, Kim M, Gonzalez AJ. Associations between child marriage and maternal health outcomes in Liberia and Sierra Leone. PLoS One. 2024;19(3):e0300982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0300982
9. Sagalova V, Zagre NM, Vollmer S. Long-term consequences of early marriage and maternity in West and Central Africa. BMJ Glob Health. 2021;6:e005789. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005789
10. Elnakib S, Elsallab M, Wanis MA, Elshiwy S, Krishnapalan NP, Naja NA. Impacts of child marriage on adolescent girls’ health in urban Egypt. Reprod Health. 2022;19(1):10. doi:10.1186/s12978-021-01315-4
11. Curtin EL, Widnall E, Dodd S, Limmer M, Simmonds R, Russell AE, et al. Exploring mechanisms in a peer education project to improve mental health literacy in schools. Health Educ Res. 2024;39(1):40–54. doi:10.1093/her/cyad035
12. Freire K, Pope R, Jeffrey K, Andrews K, Nott M, Bowman T. Engaging with children and adolescents: a systematic review of participatory methods. Adolesc Res Rev. 2022;7(3):335–354. doi:10.1007/s40894-022-00181-w
13. van Boxtel W, Jerković-Ćosić K, Schoonmade LJ, Chinapaw MJM. Health literacy in child health promotion: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2024;24:1122. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-18541-y
14. Miao X, Ziyou I, Han Y, Kin Z, Michael W. Participatory research methods for promoting children’s psychological well-being. Appl Res Qual Life. 2025;20:1629–1664. doi:10.1007/s11482-025-10490-6
15. Chrifou R, Anselma M, Christens BD, Israel BA, Jurkowski JM, Perkins DD, et al. Actualizing child and adolescent empowerment in participatory action research. Int J Adolesc Youth. 2024;29(1):2354907. doi:10.1080/02673843.2024.2354907
16. Nicholas M, Rouse E, Paatsch L. Child-centred teaching: helping each child to reach their full potential. Educ Sci. 2021;11(8):401. doi:10.3390/educsci11080401
17. Leung C, Leung T, Lau D, Ng R, et al. Improving children and adolescents’ quality of life through health behavioral education: a pre–post intervention study. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2025;77:105987. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.105987
18. Widiyastuti NE, Hakiki M. Impact of reproductive health education on adolescent knowledge and attitude. J Kebidanan Malahayati. 2022;8(2):349–357.
19. Nurhasanah R. Effectiveness of health counseling using leaflet and video media on adolescents’ knowledge about early marriage risks. J Nusant Public Health. 2021;6(2):85–92.
20. Haberland N, Rogow D. Sexuality education: emerging trends in evidence and practice. J Adolesc Health. 2022;71(5):567–574. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.06.010
21. Chandra-Mouli V, Plesons M, Hadi S, Bauman A, Chou D. Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights: a stock-taking and call to action. J Adolesc Health. 2021;68(2):S3–S15. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.11.004
22. Keats EC, Rappaport AI, Shah S, Oh C, Jain R, Bhutta ZA. The impact of school-based health education on adolescent health outcomes: a systematic review. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2022;6(9):634–646. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00160-7
23. Salam RA, Faqqah A, Sajjad N, Lassi ZS, Das JK, Kaufman M, Bhutta ZA. Improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health: a systematic review of potential interventions. J Adolesc Health. 2021;69(6):S11–S28. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.002
24. Yakubu I, Salisu WJ. Determinants of adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. Reprod Health. 2021;18:15. doi:10.1186/s12978-021-01074-5
25. Viner RM, Gireesh A, Stiglic N, Hudson LD, Goddings AL, Ward JL, Nicholls DE. Roles of schools and education in supporting adolescent health. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2023;7(2):142–151. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00336-5
26. Mathews C, Eggers SM, Townsend L, Aarø LE, de Vries PJ. Effects of school-based interventions on sexual health knowledge among adolescents: a cluster randomized trial. BMC Public Health. 2021;21:1608. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11614-7
27. Laski L, Amin A. Transforming education to prevent gender inequality and child marriage. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7:e008123. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008123
28. John NA, Edmeades J, Murithi L. Child marriage and psychological well-being among adolescent girls. Child Abuse Negl. 2022;125:105473. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105473
29. Chae S, Ngo TD. The global state of evidence on interventions to prevent child marriage. J Adolesc Health. 2021;68(5):847–854. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.11.016
30. Darling-Hammond L, Flook L, Cook-Harvey C, Barron B, Osher D. Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Appl Dev Sci. 2021;25(2):97–140. doi:10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791
31. Hattie J, Zierer K. Ten mindframes for visible learning: teaching for success. Educ Sci. 2022;12(3):176. doi:10.3390/educsci12030176
32. Zimmerman BJ, Schunk DH. Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: theoretical perspectives. Educ Psychol Rev. 2022;34(2):1583–1600. doi:10.1007/s10648-021-09628-5
33. Kolb AY, Kolb DA. Experiential learning theory as a guide for experiential educators in higher education. Experiential Learn Teach High Educ. 2021;4(1):7–44. doi:10.46787/elthe.v4i1.336
34. Bandura A. Toward a psychology of human agency: pathways and reflections. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2021;16(6):1301–1315. doi:10.1177/1745691620977188
35. Widman L, Nesi J, Kamke K, Choukas-Bradley S, Stewart JL. Technology-based interventions to reduce sexually transmitted infections among youth. J Adolesc Health. 2021;69(3):387–395. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.03.015
36. Fonner VA, Armstrong KS, Kennedy CE, O’Reilly KR, Sweat MD. School-based sex education and HIV prevention in low- and middle-income countries. PLoS One. 2021;16(3):e0248882. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0248882
37. Denno DM, Hoopes AJ, Chandra-Mouli V. Effective strategies to provide adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and education. J Adolesc Health. 2022;70(3):S6–S15. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.11.002
38. Melesse DY, Mutua MK, Choudhury A, Wado YD, Faye CM, Neal S. Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: progress and challenges. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(6):e784–e795. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00039-5
39. Kennedy CE, Yeh PT, Pandey S, Betran AP, Narasimhan M. Community-based interventions to prevent early marriage and adolescent pregnancy. Reprod Health. 2022;19:180. doi:10.1186/s12978-022-01492-5








Email: mediakesehatan@poltekkes-mks.ac.id