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Using project‐based learning with Venezuelan teachers to enhance teacher attitudes about school‐based drug abuse prevention: A control‐group comparison study
Author(s) -
Amesty Elvia,
Páez Doris
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.22159
Subject(s) - psychology , substance abuse , drug prevention , drug education , drug control , substance abuse prevention , promotion (chess) , medical education , control (management) , pedagogy , medicine , psychiatry , management , economics , criminology , politics , political science , law
Because teachers have regular access to youth, they have the potential of playing a significant role in health promotion and drug abuse prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of training and encouraging project‐based learning methods on Venezuelan teachers’ attitudes toward school‐based drug abuse prevention programs. Specifically, an experimental group of grades 4–9 teachers received direct training in project‐based learning strategies and drug prevention content. Their attitudes were compared to those of a wait‐list control group. A key finding showed that the experimental group reported a more favorable attitude toward the effectiveness of school‐community drug prevention strategies. Additionally, teachers in the experimental group reported that the program increased (1) the school's relationship with the community, (2) parental involvement, and (3) their own awareness of the significant role teachers can play in students’ drug abuse prevention. As a very preliminary exploration of this topic, the paper also discusses study limitations, future research directions, and how this work relates to the broader concept of internationalization.