EVALUATE PREVENTIONEVALUATE PREVENTION

How harmonize the experimental control How harmonize the experimental control with the implementation of the programmes with the implementation of the programmes

in not controllable contexts?in not controllable contexts?

Washington, 23-24 October 2003Washington, 23-24 October 2003

Why do we Why do we evaluate?evaluate?

• Scientists evaluate to improve the knowledge in the field of drug prevention.

• Prevention workers evaluate to know the effectivenness of our projects.

• Can scientificals and prevention workers use the same methodologies and the same tools?

Some logical Some logical requirements of the requirements of the evaluationevaluation

• Keep the control on the variables:– The project is implemented according to the

design. – Control Group and Intervention Group don’t

change during the process.– Control Group don’t receive any intervention

during the study. – Teacher act as an automaton implementing the

proposed activities without adaptation.

Some risks of the Some risks of the experimental evaluationexperimental evaluation

• Project don’t take into account the differences between students and it is implemented in a standarised way.

• The programme is external to the school and its evaluation is artificial.

• Teacher, key element in the implementation, become a tool forced to a standarised work.

Basic criteria about Basic criteria about drug educationdrug education

• Every classroom is different to the others.

• Every teacher is different to the others.

• Every school, in every context, has specific caracteristics.

• Teachers live a lot of pressures which make him inconstant.

Thinking about evaluationThinking about evaluation

• All of us know well the scientific criteria for experimental evaluation.

• All of us know well the requirements of the implementation of drug education projects.

• The question is not “to be or not to be” strict scientists.

• The question is “to be or not to be” realistic about the school and the teachers who mustn’t adaptate himself to the programme but the programme has to be adaptated to them.

Our main programme Our main programme The Adventure of LifeThe Adventure of Life

• In 1989 we created The Adventure Of Life.

• A health education programme.

• Aimed at schoolchildren from 8 to 12 years old.

• Core themes:

– Self-Steem

– Life Skills

– Information and attituds toward Drugs

– Healthy habits

• Materials:

• an Album with picture cards for each child• a Guide for each teacher • a Manual for each family

• Coverage:

• 250 Municipalities in 10 regions in Spain.

• 80,000 schoolchildren, 5,000 educators and thousands of families.

• It is implemented in 15 Latin American countries, reaching more than 300,000 schoolchildren every year.

• Evaluation:

• In 2002, we evaluated the programme in 11 countries, interviewing 215 teachers and testing 7.300 pupils.

Nuestra señas de identidadNuestra señas de identidadLas drogas, un nuevo reto socialLas drogas, un nuevo reto socialLa escuela, un laboratorio de futuroLa escuela, un laboratorio de futuroPRIMARY EDUCATIONPRIMARY EDUCATIONEducación secundaria obligatoria Educación secundaria obligatoria Educación secundaria postobligatoriaEducación secundaria postobligatoriaIntervención integral en la escuelaIntervención integral en la escuelaContextos educativos no formalesContextos educativos no formalesMás allá de la escuelaMás allá de la escuela

Challenges for the evaluationChallenges for the evaluation

• In Europe and in Latin America it is difficult to find financial resources for long time evaluations.

• This project is implemented in each school on a voluntary basis.

• Teachers start with a high motivation but this change along the school years.

• Students are not well separated according to their age. So, in Ecuador, you can find 11 and 14 years aged pupils in the same class-room.

• It is more and more difficult to find Control Groups.

Qualitative evaluationQualitative evaluation

• Is it possible to use qualitative evaluations with acceptable results?

• Teachers know a lot about the evolution of the schoolchildren. So, qualitative methodologies can be useful to reach this information.

• Teachers can think about the internal challenges of the preventive programmes according to their practical experience.

Quantitative evaluationQuantitative evaluation

• Is it possible to use different levels of control?

• Can we create different aproachs to the evaluation according to the resources, the contexts, the knowledge, the financiation?

• Is it possible to build different practical models of evaluation with a diferent experimental level, to help communities to evaluate its work without the requirements of the scientists?

Particular de Indautxu, 948011 Bilbao, SPAIN

edex@edex.esedex@edex.es

www.edex.eswww.edex.eswww.edex.eswww.edex.es

Thanks a lot for your attention!