Pulsar: A Qualitative Study of a Substance Abuse Prevention Program

• NCJ Number: 208234
• Journal: Journal of Drug Education Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 89-103
• Author(s): Jeanne M. Martino-McAllister Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 15 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the risk, protective, and resiliency factors of five middle school students identified as "at-risk" of drug abuse who participated in Virginia's substance abuse prevention program entitled, Police, Public Educators and Peers Utilizing the Leadership Skills of Students At-Risk/As Resources (PULSAR).

Abstract

The PULSAR program, which has been implemented in several middle schools in Virginia, identifies students "on the edge" of school failure, disconnection, and negative behavior. Participants are invited to attend a 2-day retreat away from the school, where they engage in relationship-building activities that promote positive social bonds between the students and school and community facilitators. The training model consists of six sequential modules that address orientation and team-building, self-awareness and self-assessment, group process and dynamics, group needs assessment, school and community, formation of PULSAR youth club/product groups, and conference closing/graduation. Data collection for the program evaluation included interviews, observations, written questionnaires, teacher behavior checklists, and coordinator feedback and document review for each participant. A case record was built for each student each time data were collected. The five students involved in the evaluation (three boys and two girls) were seventh graders in a middle school in Todd, VA. The evaluation findings show that the PULSAR program facilitated self-reflection on participants' negative attitudes toward substance abuse and positive attitudes toward school; allowed the students to gain skills that addressed individual needs; and fostered relationships between the students and adult facilitators in a safe environment. These results indicate that the program increases protective factors and resiliency characteristics in preventing substance abuse; however, these factors were not constant with each student. The features of continued research on the PULSAR program are discussed. 28 references