Submitted in fuIfilment ofthe requirement for the degree Master of EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2003. / This study investigated the perceptions of high school learners about HTV7AIDS preventive strategies. The study reveals that the age of the learner, their gender, grade level, and the school they attend influences their perceptions. The study also reveals that the learners hold positive perceptions about abstaining from sex, delaying sex until marriage as well as knowing the HIV/AIDS status of potential partners as of paramount importance while those who do not hold positive perceptions about abstinence hold positive perception about practicing safe sex. The study reveals that there was no relationship between religion and the acceptance of circumcision as a cultural practice through which infection could be avoided; but racial grouping and age greatly influence the acceptance of this alternative strategy.