Using project‐based learning with Venezuelan teachers to enhance teacher attitudes about school‐based drug abuse prevention: A control‐group comparison study

Abstract

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.

A working definition and conceptual model of internationalization for school and educational psychology

“…In my view, although multinational collaboration is common as a type of internationalization work, it is not a requirement of doing work related to Category 1 or the other two categories described later. More specific types of Category 1 internationalization work include (1) empirical work that adapts, evaluates, and describes a school‐based intervention, assessment, or other form of practice (e.g., consultation) from one cultural or linguistic context to another (e.g., Dang et al., ); (2) scholarship that describes and utilizes theories, constructs, and/or methods that are not often described or used within Western scholarship or practice (e.g., Amesty & Paez, ; Bernardo, Yeung, Resurreccion, Resurreccion, & Khan, ); (3) scholarship focusing on topics of importance for school psychologists that come from regions or countries otherwise underrepresented in the scholarship (e.g., Amesty & Paez, ; Bernardo et al., ; Dang et al., ; Kim et al., ); (4) multi‐country collaboration that through theory, practice, or methodology utilizes values or norms that are representative of multiple cultures (e.g., Bernardo et al., ); and (5) scholarship that gathers relevant information to improve understanding about the discipline in an international context (e.g., generating estimates about the number of school psychology professionals in one or more countries, or conducting survey research about school psychology practices or needs within one or more countries).…”

Factors That Influence the Effectiveness of Primary Prevention of Substance Use: A Review of Reviews

“…In addition to expert skills, the observation that a co-provider model increases the effectiveness of the program leads to an impression that the presence of a co-provider increases the internal consistency and structured format of the intervention. The fact that computer-based programs showed significant effectiveness, even in interventions with shorter durations, might reflect the role of internal consistency and structural orderliness of interventions, which is a key feature of computer-based programs (80,81).…”

Nitrate Contamination of Bottled Water:&nbsp;Description of a Project-based Learning Experience<br /> &nbsp;

“…PBL has been employed in fields as diverse as linear algebra (Izquierdo et al, 2016), geography (Bowlick, Bednarz, & Goldberg, 2016), or chemistry (Barak & Dori, 2004). Strategies bases in PBL were employed to train teachers with very different purposes, for example, for the integration of educational technologies into their teaching practices (Chen, 2011) or for the development of strategies for the prevention of drug abuse (Amnesty & Páez, 2018).…”