NCJ Number
176737
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: 1998 Pages: 307-325
Date Published
1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study of the development process and content of curricula for drug abuse prevention and education in schools that have created their own.
Abstract
The process that these schools used is compared to a model of curriculum development. Data were obtained from telephone interviews with the identified drug-free schools coordinator or designate in the corporation of schools that had previously been identified as having developed its own prevention curriculum. Interviews were completed in 76 schools (26 elementary, 20 middle schools, and 30 high schools) of the 120 selected for the study (63 percent). The responses to open-ended questions were analyzed for the factors related to the components of the Sussman model through a series of sorting activities. Other components consistently cited were also highlighted. To assess the quality of the development process and identify the components of the Sussman model, two drug abuse prevention experts independently reviewed each interview. Each case was also evaluated for the rigor of the process. Findings show that generally the process that local schools used in developing their own drug abuse prevention and education curriculum was characterized by high levels of involvement by a variety of personnel, low levels of training, little use of resources outside the school corporation, poor training of teachers who will be implementing the curriculum, and little evaluation. The availability of external funds for development from Federal or State sources was a powerful motivator for curriculum development. To facilitate the development and implementation of high-quality drug abuse prevention, several critical components are necessary. First, the researchers and evaluators from major curriculum study projects need to develop, from the pool of prevention activities and teaching methods, low-cost, easy-to-use activities and lessons that are clearly linked to changes in predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors identified for drug use. Second, teachers and administrators should be provided ongoing training in the basic concepts of prevention and etiology of adolescent alcohol and other drug use/abuse. Third, a cadre of resource people with expertise that ranges from chemical dependency to curriculum development should be available for consultation to local schools during the program development process. 2 figures and 13 references