Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
Dr. G. Lowen
Committee Member
William Bellany
Keywords
alcohol education, alcohol use, decision-making, decision-making skills, drug education, drug use, early adolescents, family involvement, healthy lifestyles, needs assessment, peer counseling, peer groups, peer helpers, peer relationships, personal caution, personal control, program evaluation, self-esteem, student surveys, substance abuse, substance abuse prevention, survey analysis, youth development, youth intervention programs
Abstract
This practicum was designed to reduce the level of alcohol and drug abuse among the early adolescents at the writer's school. The major objectives were to foster a greater sense of personal caution in the lives of the students, to teach specific decision-making skills, to develop student-created models for healthy lifestyles, and to have students identify a personal reduction in substance abuse as a result of participation in the program.
The writer developed needs assessment surveys and administered them to students and to the school's peer helpers, analyzed the results, and examined possible solutions to the problem. Among the proposed solutions was the use of a multifaceted approach which took into account the needs of the individual early adolescent, the peer group, and the family. The solution chosen utilized strategies designed to increase the self-esteem and the sense of personal control of each participant.
The results of the program were mixed. Analysis of the data showed that a large number of the participants surveyed reduced their personal level of alcohol and drug use, but not as many as expected. Students surveyed also experienced a greater sense of personal control over their lives, but they did not directly attribute this increase to the PACT program solution. Participants did demonstrate the ability to utilize decision-making strategies. They were also able to recall and demonstrate a model for a healthy lifestyle. The majority of students surveyed felt that the program should be offered to early adolescents.