NCJ Number
242152
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: 2012 Pages: 229-253
Date Published
2012
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the results of an evaluation of studies examining the effects of disintegrative shaming programs used by the educational community on young people.
Abstract
This article presents the results of an evaluation of the effects of disintegrative shaming programs used by the educational community to deal with the problem of drug use by young people. The evaluation found that as a rule, the programs used in schools such as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and LST (Life Skills Training), instead of resulting in lower levels of drug use, led to the formation of cognitive dissonance among the students and a belief that the schools and school personnel did not care about them or wish to help them overcome their problems. This finding was particularly notable for programs involving zero tolerance policies. The evaluation of these programs was conducted due to research that has indicated the negative effects resulting from use of DARE and LST programs in schools, especially as they relate to minority students. The evaluation was conducted over a 4-year period by the State of California to assess the implementation and effectiveness of drug education programs and interventions delivered in the State and across the country. The evaluation was conducted on the programs' effects on approximately 5,000 students in grades 7-12 in 118 schools across 77 districts in the State. The evaluation found that the use of fear and shaming by educators resulted in the development of cognitive dissonance among the students leading students to believe that educators had no desire to help them overcome their problems and improve their level of achievement in school. Study limitations are discussed. Table and references