Preventing Interpersonal Violence Among Teens: Field Test and Evaluation of the Violence Prevention Curriculum for Adolescents

The curriculum was evaluated in a two-phase study. In the field test phase in 1987, both the curriculum and assessment procedures were field tested in single schools in each of six cities across the United States. In the evaluation phase in 1987 and 1988, teachers from single schools in each of the six cities were trained to administer the curriculum and the evaluation instruments. Using item and factor analysis on data from both study phases, 15 dependent measures were developed for use in the evaluation phase. Data from the evaluation phase were then examined to assess the impact of the curriculum on changes in student knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors. Study results did not reveal any differences at baseline between students in the two treatment conditions (curriculum and comparison). Differences were noted, however, among schools on most measures. No pretest differences were found between dropouts and retestees on knowledge and attitude outcomes. For behavior outcomes, results indicated an interaction between dropout status and treatment; students who dropped out of the curriculum were more delinquent than those who remained in the curriculum. Students who received the curriculum reported fewer fights in the past week. Further, the curriculum produced a shift in locus of control for interpersonal violence among high-risk students toward a more "other directed" orientation. Implications of the curriculum evaluation findings are discussed in terms of refining educational approaches to violence prevention. Curriculum evaluation instruments are contained in five appendixes. 73 references and 36 tables