The Effects and Consequences of Alcohol - Research Proposal Example

? The Impact of Seminars es ‘The Effects/Consequences Of Alcohol’ on Freshman Attitude toward the Use of Alcohol [Instructor’s Name] [Course Title] [Date of Submission] The Impact of Seminars/Classes ‘The Effects/Consequences Of Alcohol’ on Freshman Students Attitude toward the Use of Alcohol Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of seminars ‘the effects/consequences of Alcohol’ on freshman students attitude toward the personal use of Alcohol. In this study, quantitative research approach will be employed and it will involve an experimental design with two comparison groups. Student will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Both the experimental treatment group and the control group will take a pretest and a posttest, but only the experimental group will receive the treatment of classes/seminars on alcohol consequences. Pretest and posttest scores will be measured by modified version of AOD instrument. T-test will be used to identify whether the classes/seminars on alcohol consequences are significantly effective in changing the student’s attitudes towards alcohol use. Introduction Alcohol and drug use frequently have problematic consequences for an aspiring individual such as a college student (Fromme & Orrick, 2004). Prevention programs have been attempted for decades focusing on the negative aspects of alcohol and drug misuse on the college campus. Nonetheless, substance misuse continues to impact the quality of life and education of large numbers of students (Freeman, 2001). Research projects in this area have been more successful in documenting the incidence and prevalence of alcohol and drug related problems than in furthering the cause of prevention. One of the major challenges in the field is to create awareness of the relationship between substance use and the possibility of developing serious problems as a result. This study focuses on the effectiveness of a secondary prevention program for freshman students. The effectiveness or impact of an educational program focusing on addiction can be evaluated by examining the outcomes of the learning experiences. According to Swisher (1974), uniform objectives can be expected to be addressed in nearly all addiction education programs, and include 1) increasing knowledge about addictive substances, 2) maintaining conservative attitudes toward personal use of such substances, and 3) altering levels of substance use in the future. In addition., Swisher lists several unique objectives described by particular types of educational programs, including "increased participation in alternatives, reduced alienation, clarified values, enhanced mental health, improved decision-making, and improved interpersonal relationships" (p. 149). An effective addiction education program would be one which has met its specified objectives, and has influenced students to demonstrate responsible attitudes and behavior related to addictive substances. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of seminars ‘the effects/consequences of Alcohol’ on freshman students attitude toward the personal use of Alcohol. Research Question Will seminars on ‘the effects of Alcohol’ change the attitudes of freshman students towards alcohol? Hypothesis: Participation in the seminars will significantly change the attitudes of freshman students towards alcohol. Literature Review Addiction Education as Primary Prevention Educational programs are one part of intervention in the problem of addiction. Such programs are often termed primary prevention, since they seek to equip young people with knowledge, attitudes, and decision­ making skills which help to avoid problems with addiction before they occur (Fromme & Orrick, 2004; Freeman, 2001). Segal (1983) defines prevention of addiction in two ways: 1) learning how to use socially acceptable drugs, such as alcohol or medically prescribed tranquilizers, in a responsible and appropriate way, and 2) preventing or reducing the amount of illegal drug use. Gerald Caplan (1964) described primary prevention as a concept involving "lowering the rate of new cases of mental disorders in a population over a certain period by counteracting harmful circumstances before they have had a chance to produce illness" (p. 26). The effort would involve educational programs aimed at modifying the existence of harmful influences as well as strengthening people's resistance to their influences. The goal of such primary prevention efforts would be to help find healthy ways to deal with pressure so that their capacity to deal with future difficulties is increased (Fromme & Orrick, 2004). Addiction education is based on Caplan's Theory of Primary Prevention as a part of preventive psychiatry. Educators have the responsibility of helping students realize that they are now establishing drinking habits and lifestyle patterns that may remain with them throughout their lives. Students will decide according to their value system and attitudes what is acceptable behavior, and education can be directed at challenging the nature of those attitudes in order to help students make decisions that support healthy rather than negative consequences (Chung & Chow, 2004; Fromme & Orrick, 2004). According to Gonzales (1980), late adolescent and early adult years represented by the college age group pose a higher risk for incurring drinking problems than any other time in life. Therefore, effective addiction education at the college level is essential. Research on Outcomes of University-Based Addiction Education Educational outcomes following learning experiences related to addiction can be grouped into three broad areas: changes in knowledge, changes in attitudes, and changes in behaviors. Much of the literature reports increased knowledge as an outcome, but such knowledge gains are not always accompanied by attitude change or behavior change (Fromme & Orrick, 2004). Several studies used the Student Drinking Questionnaire to measure changes' in attitudes and behaviors. related to alcohol (e.g. Gonzales, 1980; Freeman, 2001; Fromme & Orrick, 2004). In each of the studies, an experimental group received alcohol education, while a control group did not. Two of the studies were done at the University of Florida, while the third was conducted at Indiana University. The length of the program varied from three hours to ten weeks. But in each of the three studies, while knowledge increased following the program, behavior did not change significantly. The ten-week course did, however, demonstrate a significant increase in responsible attitudes toward alcohol. Robinson (1981) examined the educational outcomes which occurred following three types of alcohol instruction programs. Five sections of college students taking a general health course were included in the sample, with each section containing 40 to 49 students. Each class met for two hours each week for an entire term. Three sections were the treatment groups; each receiving a particular type of instruction, and two sections were used for control. A non-random control group pretest-posttest design was used. Robinson collected data on a four-part questionnaire that he developed, which measured knowledge about alcohol, attitudes toward the use of alcohol, self-reported drinking behavior and intended drinking behaviors. In Robinson's study, one treatment group received factual information only, while a second group participated in values clarification exercises. The third group received explicit instruction, where lectures were followed by specific suggestions for modifying behaviors. Robinson's findings showed that all three treatment groups gained significantly in knowledge, while there were no significant changes in attitudes. However, the explicit instruction group did show significant changes in relation to drinking behaviors, such as ability to abstain or drink in moderation. A similar study with a considerably larger sample was done by Chen (1982) at the University of Wisconsin, with 1,000 randomly selected students. The subjects were given a questionnaire regarding alcohol knowledge, attitudes toward drinking, and self-reported drinking behaviors. Then they participated in a week-long educational program about alcohol awareness which was followed by post-testing on the same questionnaire. Chen's findings were similar to those of Robinson: that while there were no significant changes in attitudes, there were significant improvements in drinking behaviors. These two studies, with samples comparable in age and developmental level to the subjects in this study indicate that students may modify their level of use of alcohol following an educational program, particularly when the emphasis is on responsible drinking rather than abstinence. In addition, it may be that programs are more effective at producing behavior change outcomes in learners who do currently use addictive substances, if those learners are given concrete suggestions on how to modify their own behavior. A personalized approach which actively involves the students may help the educator to meet the objectives more effectively. There are many concerns about whether primary prevention programs are effective, especially in light of studies such as those cited which show mixed findings about the ability of programs to influence attitudes or behaviors. Gonzalez (1982) has been actively involved in alcohol education at the University of Florida for a number of years, and expresses great concern that educators might abandon addiction prevention efforts because of conflicting findings about program value. He believes that many questions exist about the outcomes of such prevention efforts, and a variety of methodological issues have slowed our ability to have confidence in the findings that have been reported. However, the answer may lie in continued attention to systematic evaluation of courses and programs, from the merit of the goals to the actual outcomes. More information can be gained about the nature of the college-age learner and the social context of college life which may have impact on the use of addictive substances. In addition, much information can be gained about the nature of goals appropriate to learner needs. Gonzalez concludes, based on his own research, as well as the published reports of others’ research that there are three essential requirements for alcohol education, if it is to be successful. They are: 1:. There should be agreement on what behavior is to be promoted among a specific population, thus allowing the educators to take a promotion of health approach. 2. The education should be presented over an extended period of time, allowing students to check newly acquired attitudes and knowledge against actual drinking practices. 3. Students should be involved in the presentation of the education to other students to implement a peer approach to the prevention of alcohol-related problems among youth (p. 10-11). A review of primary prevention programs was done by Schaps and his colleagues (1980), with particular attention to those programs which emphasized a multidimensional approach including learning activities in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. Thirty-five drug abuse prevention program evaluations were examined which had measured impact, personal drug use, intentions to use drugs, or attitudes toward drug use. These programs were diverse in terms of populations served, including only six aimed at the college-aged student. Overall, the results of the review reflected conclusions drawn by other authors (Swisher, 1974), that there is some evidence of knowledge gain, and less clear evidence of attitude and behavior change following prevention programs. Schaps finds the solution to be clear: "rigorous, comprehensive evaluation of intensive, carefully managed, 'real world' programs" (p. 673). Methodology Design This quantitative study will involve an experimental design with two comparison groups. Student will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The first group will participate in seminars on the effects of Alcohol. The second group will not receive any intervention and it will serve as a control group in this experimental study. This design will allow both the experimental treatment group and the control group to take a pretest and a posttest, but only the experimental group will receive the treatment of classes/seminars on alcohol consequences. This true experimental design is known as the pretest-posttest control group design (Campbell & Stanley, 1965). This study will employ this experimental design because it will allow researcher to determine whether classes/seminars on alcohol consequences are effective in changing the student’s attitudes towards alcohol. Pretest Stimuli Posttest Treatment Group X 0 X Control Group X X Participants The target population for this study is freshman students at the Troy university. It is anticipated that approximately 100 students would be solicited to participate in the research project, if not more. This sample size would allow two equal groups of 50 participants each, which would be a sufficient number for the purpose of this study. The targeted population of students would provide a sufficient number of participants to test the impact of the intervention (classes/seminars) and provide more than enough of the students to meet the requirements of most tests of significance. The sampling procedure will include a purposive (convenience) sample, selecting those students who would be ready to participate in this study. Once the target sample (100 students) is obtained, the participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups in the experiment-treatment group or control group. For statistical purposes, the two groups will have an equal number of participants in each group (50 each). Variables Seminars (Independent Variable) A series of seminars on the effects of Alcohol will be conducted at the Troy university. Seminars/classes will be used as an independent variable in this study. Attitudes (Dependent Variable) This is defined as common attitudes among students in general about drinking alcoholic beverages, using marijuana and other illicit drugs. This includes perceptions about student's beliefs around frequent, occasional, minimal or no use. Student’s attitudes towards alcohol will be assessed by modified version of ‘The Campus Survey of Alcohol and other Drug (AOD)’ (Presley, Meilman & Leichliter, 1998). Procedure First, each potential participant will be asked to complete the Consent Form. Second, each potential participant will complete the modified version of AOD prior the student’s participation in the seminars/classes on alcohol consequences. This self-report instrument consists of 17 behavioral, perceptual and attitudinal questions and nine demographic questions. The survey also assesses perceptions of alcohol and drug use norms among peer groups as well as behavioral outcomes associated with alcohol use such as interferences with academics or personal responsibilities. The section of this instrument utilized for this study involved statements about attitudes towards alcohol and demographic questions (see Appendix). The section questioning the attitudes will be modified to measure personal attitude score about alcohol use. The respondents will be asked whether they agree or disagree with the statements. Sample statement are, "use never being good to do", to "frequent use being okay if that is what the person wants to do." Responses obtained from questionnaire at this stage will serve as pretest attitude scores. At this point, the treatment participants will be scheduled to attend a series of seminars/classes on alcohol consequences, while the control group will not be allowed to attend these classes/seminars. Later, both groups will again respond to the modified version of AOD questionnaire (statements about attitude only). Data Collection and Analysis Pretest and posttest attitude scores will be calculated by adding individual scores for each subject on each of the 5 items in the questionnaire. Campbell and Stanley (1965) indicate that the most widely used acceptable test is to compute for each group pretest-posttest gain scores and to compute a t-test between experimental and control groups on these gain scores. Campbell and Stanley also believe that the usual statistical analyses are appropriate when the individual students have been assigned at random to the treatment or control groups. Therefore, t-test will be used to test the significance of seminars/classes on student’s attitudes towards alcohol use. Research Ethics Since quantitative research involves the use of human subjects, questions of risk, intrusion, and privacy must be considered. Without assurance that confidentiality will be maintained, participants may not feel comfortable about revealing personal information about their drinking habits. In response to the sensitivity of the participants and to ensure confidentiality, this researcher will use the following protocol with subjects: 1. Consent form. Each participant will be asked to read and sign a consent form prior to completing the questionnaire. Each person will be briefed as to the purpose of tile study, its publication, and dissemination of tile research results. 2. Students will be advised that they could withdraw from the study at any time and that their name and social security number would not be revealed in any final publications. 3. Code identification. Throughout the study, student anonymity will be maintained through the use of a personally selected identification code for the questionnaire and intervention. 4. Institutional approval. Approval from this researcher's university will be obtained before using human subjects for experimental research.. 5. All confidential papers, questionnaires, and testing materials used to gather the initial data for analysis will be kept in a locked file cabinet. As required by institutional policy, research subjects' consent forms and data will be destroyed 5 years after the project ends. 7. Participants will have the right to expect that the researcher would be sensitive to their human dignity and they will be reassured that they would not be unduly harmed by their participation. Timeline Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Proposal Done Literature review Methods Materials Data Collection Data Analysis Write-up Revisions Final Dissertation Modified Version of AOD Questionnaire (Personal Attitude) Please respond to the following statements in terms of your level of disagreeement/agreement. a. Drinking is never a good thing to do. Completely disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor agree Somewhat agree Complete Agree b. Drinking is all right but a person should not get drunk. Completely disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor agree Somewhat agree Complete Agree c. Occasionally getting drunk is okay as long as it doesn’t interfere with academics or other responsibilities. Completely disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor agree Somewhat agree Complete Agree d. Occasionally getting drunk is okay even if it does interfere with academics or responsibilities. Completely disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor agree Somewhat agree Complete Agree e. Frequently getting drunk is okay if that’s what the individual wants to do. Completely disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor agree Somewhat agree Complete Agree References Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1965). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research on teaching. In N. L. Gage (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 171-246). Chicago: Rand McNally & Company. Caplan, G. (1964). Principles of preventive psychiatry. New York: Basic Books. Chen, W.W., Dosch, M., & Cychosz, C.M. (1982). The impact of a voluntary educational program -- Tip it lightly, alcohol awareness week -- on the drinking attitudes and behaviors of college students. Journal of Drug Education, 12(2), 125-135. Chung, J. & Chow, S. (2004). Promoting student learning through a student­centered problem-based learning subject curriculum. Innovation in Education and Teaching International, 41, 157-167. Freeman, M. (2001). Alcohol education program for college and university judicial sanctions. Journal of College Counseling, 4, 179-85. Fromme, K. & Orrick D. (2004). The lifestyle management class: A harm reduction approach to college drinking. Addiction Research and Theory, 12, 335-351. Gonzalez, G.M. (1980). The effect of a model alcohol education module on college students' attitudes, knowledge and behavior related to alcohol use. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 25(1), 1-12. Gonzalez, G.M. (1982). Alcohol education can prevent alcohol problems: A summary of some unique research findings. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 27(3), 2-12. Presley, C.A., Meilman, P.W., & Leichliter, J.S. (1998). Core alcohol and drug survey user’s manual (6th ed.). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University. Robinson, J. (1981) A comparison of three alcohol instruction programs on the knowledge, attitude and drinking behaviors of college students. Journal of Drug Education, 11(2), 157-166. Schaps, E., Churgin, s., Palley, C.S., Takata, B., & Cohen, A.Y. (1980). Primary prevention research: A preliminary review of program outcome studies. The International Journal of Addiction, 15(5), 657-676. Segal, B. (1983). Drugs and youth: A review of the problem. The International Journal of the Addictions, 18(3), 429-433. Swisher, J. D. (1974). The effectiveness of drug education: Conclusions based on experimental evaluations. In M. Goodstadt, (Ed.), Research methods and programs of drug education. Addiction Research Foundation. Swisher, J.D. (1974). The effectiveness of drug education: Conclusions based on experimental evaluations. In M. Goodstadt, (Ed.), Research methods and programs of drug education. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation. Appendix Read More