The effectiveness of a shor-term prevention program to increase drug refusal behavior in elementary school children was assessed. Fifty-seven third grade children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: rehearsal-plus, traditional, and control. Children in the rehearsal-plus group were taught drug knowledge, assertiveness skills, decision making skills, and specific drug refusal techniques in the context of a skills-based strategy. This procedure included behavioral training and elaborative rehearsal. The traditional group targeted the same components, drug knowledge, assertiveness skills, decision making skills, and drug refusal skills, and employed a general educational-based approach to enhance children's functioning. Training occurred in three socially validated situations corresponding to settings where children are likely to be offered drugs. Assessment was carried out at pre- and post-test phases. It was hypothesized that children in the rehearsal-plus group would outperform those in the traditional and control groups on targeted responses. The results suggest that the rehearsal-plus procedure was most effective in enhancing desired behavior. / Master of Science

This study employs interviews to measure the perceptions of sixteen teachers, nine school principals, and seven School Resource Officers on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, offered to grade six students in one small (population approximately 70,000) city in western Canada. Perceptions in three areas are examined: curricular content, program delivery, and efficacy. Subjects overwhelming viewed the curricular content favourably. Similarly, there was strong agreement that the program was well delivered. The efficacy of the program was judged less positively; however, this did not mitigate the subjects' strong desire to continue implementation of the program. These results are consistent with the research literature on DARE which documents the popularity of the program, but acknowledges that it appears to have limited effects upon reducing student drug use. The results of this study are used to examine five options for delivering an in-school program for preventing or reducing drug abuse and violence among students. The options explored range from retaining the DARE program in its current form, to eliminating it, reforming it, implementing an alternative program, or designing an entirely new drug and violence prevention program. The conclusion drawn is that the DARE program should be withdrawn and replaced with an entirely new drug and violence prevention program and curriculum specific to community realities and needs. / vii, 109 leaves ; 28 cm.