Exploring teenage pregnancy through collaborative music-making activities with adolescent girls in Zambia

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy is one of the contributing factors affecting high school dropout rates in Zambia and affects many adolescent girls’ wellbeing, limiting their capacity to contribute to the social and economic development in their communities. Although many studies have been done on collaborative music-making, no research on the use of collaborative music-making activities to create a space for engaging with adolescent girls on teenage pregnancy issues has been done in Zambia. The aim of this study was to explore if the participation in collaborative music-making activities of teenage girls (15 years olds that are not or never were pregnant) at a rural school in Zambia could generate an understanding of the concerns about teenage pregnancy. The study focused on how these girls experienced cultural expectations in their community, the consequences of teenage pregnancy, awareness of reproductive health issues, and opinions on their potential sexual relationships. A qualitative case study research design was used to collect and analyse the data. Data collection methods included semi- structured interviews and observations with 10 participants. After data collection, the data were coded and analysed, and three themes emerged: Positive space, social identity, and exploring teenage pregnancy. The research finding revealed that collaborative music-making could effectively create a space for adolescent girls to engage openly on the topic of teenage pregnancy. Engaging in different group music-making activities can enhance social interaction by helping participants develop relationships, a sense of belonging to a group, and sharing issues relating to teenage pregnancy.