ERIC Number: EJ1277305
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1751-2271
EISSN: N/A
An Undergraduate Student-Led Neuroscience Outreach Program Shows Promise in Shifting Teen Attitudes about Drugs
Lichtenberg, Nina T.; Thompson, Andrew B.; Iguchi, Martin Y.; Evans, Christopher J.; Romero-Calderón, Rafael
Mind, Brain, and Education, v14 n4 p387-399 Nov 2020
Drug Outreach, Promoting Awareness (DOPA) is an undergraduate outreach program for local high school students designed to convey the neurobiological basis, risks, and addictive potential of commonly abused drugs. Here we describe DOPA and evaluate the program, including its impact on high school student attitudes about drug harm risk and addiction. Undergraduate neuroscience students versed in the neurobiology, physiology, and policy of drugs are trained in active learning methods, enabling them to create engaging and interactive classroom-based educational materials. Survey results showed that participation in DOPA increased high school student perceptions of the addictive potential and harm risk of drugs, which studies have shown to be inversely correlated with drug-taking. High school students also responded positively to the interactive nature of the program. These findings demonstrate how extensively trained undergraduates who are close peers to high school students can effectively lead science outreach initiatives and shift adolescent attitudes about drugs.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Drug Education, Outreach Programs, Risk, Drug Addiction, Drug Abuse, High School Students, Student Attitudes, Neurosciences, Physiology, Neurology, Biology, Program Descriptions, Program Evaluation, Instructional Materials, College School Cooperation, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Attitude Change
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (DHHS/PHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DA005010