Identification of the most effective types of school-based substance use prevention programs has benefited substantially from meta-analysis. In particular, Tobler’s meta-analyses have identified interactive programs, which combine participatory teaching strategies with content focused on social influences, drug refusal skills, and generic skills, as more effective than programs using traditional teaching approaches and focusing on knowledge and attitudes. Despite the substantial base of research knowledge, relatively little is known about the extent to which this knowledge is reflected in current school practice. This paper presents findings from the School-Based Substance Use Prevention Programs Study (SSUPPS) concerning what is, relative to what should be, in the types of school drug prevention programs currently in use. Middle school teachers who were responsible for teaching substance use prevention responded to a 1999 mailed survey (N=1939, response rate=72.4%). They reported the emphasis they gave to a variety of content areas and the frequency with which they used various instructional strategies for the most recent time they taught substance use prevention. This information is used to assess the extent to which teachers are teaching curricula in a manner that incorporates the features of interactive programs, and hence have greater potential for effectiveness. Results provide evidence of the extent of the gap between research and practice in school-based substance use programming.
Learning Objectives: The session attender will: --become familiar with the findings of meta-analytic studies concerning the effectiveness of school-based substance use prevention programs; and --learn the extent to which middle school teachers in a recent national study reported teaching substance use curricula in a manner that incorporates the features of effective programs
Keywords: Substance Abuse Prevention, School-Based Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.