Critique The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.

Critique the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.E.). Describe an experimental design to test the casual hypothesis that D.A.R.E. reduces recidivism. Include in your answer, if your experimental design is feasible? Why or Why not? Discuss the difference between validity and reliability when making measurements?

This assignment requires a critique of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, coupled with designing an experiment to assess whether D.A.R.E. effectively reduces recidivism related to drug offenses. Additionally, the task involves examining the feasibility of the proposed experimental design, discussing the concepts of validity and reliability with illustrative examples, and identifying one probability sampling technique and one non-probability sampling technique, each linked with suitable research scenarios.

Paper For Above instruction

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program has been a prominent initiative aimed at preventing drug abuse among youth. Despite its widespread implementation, the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. remains a subject of debate. To critically evaluate D.A.R.E., it is essential to examine existing evidence regarding its impact on juvenile recidivism related to drug offenses and to explore rigorous research designs capable of establishing causal relationships.

Critiquing D.A.R.E., studies have shown mixed results. Some research suggests that participation in D.A.R.E. does not significantly reduce drug use or recidivism among adolescents (Daidzic, 2014). Conversely, others indicate potential benefits in terms of increasing awareness and influencing attitudes towards drug avoidance, although these do not necessarily translate into long-term behavioral change. The critique thus centers around whether observed effects are attributable directly to the program or influenced by confounding variables such as peer influence, socioeconomic status, or community environment.

To ascertain a causal relationship between D.A.R.E. participation and recidivism reduction, an experimental design such as a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is ideal. In this design, a sample of students would be randomly allocated into two groups: one receiving the D.A.R.E. program and the other serving as a control group not receiving the intervention. Both groups would be monitored over a specified follow-up period to track re-offending or recidivism rates related to drug offenses.

The experimental hypothesis would posit that students participating in D.A.R.E. exhibit lower recidivism rates than those in the control group. Randomization helps control for extraneous variables, thereby enhancing internal validity, and if the sample is representative, generalizability is improved. Data collection would involve official criminal records, self-reports, and third-party observations to measure recidivism accurately.

However, this experimental design faces practical and ethical challenges. Feasibility concerns include obtaining consent from schools, students, and parents, potential contamination between groups, and resource constraints for long-term follow-up. Ethical considerations also encompass withholding potentially beneficial interventions from the control group. Despite these challenges, a well-structured RCT could provide strong causal evidence regarding D.A.R.E.’s effectiveness.

Next, understanding validity and reliability is crucial when making measurements in research. Validity refers to the extent to which a measurement accurately reflects the concept it intends to measure. For example, using a validated questionnaire to assess students' attitudes towards drugs ensures that the instrument truly measures attitudes rather than unrelated constructs (Krosnick & Presser, 2010). Reliability, on the other hand, pertains to the consistency of a measurement. Repeating the measurement under similar conditions should yield comparable results. A reliable attitude survey would produce similar scores when administered to the same group at different times, assuming no actual change has occurred (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994).

Finally, selecting appropriate sampling techniques enhances the representativeness and validity of research findings. A probability sampling technique, such as simple random sampling, involves selecting participants randomly from a known population, ensuring each individual has an equal chance of inclusion. An example research project suitable for simple random sampling might study drug attitudes among high school students in a district—where a random sample of students is chosen from the entire district population.

Conversely, a non-probability sampling technique, like convenience sampling, involves selecting participants based on their availability or ease of access. An appropriate research project using convenience sampling could examine attitudes towards the D.A.R.E. program among students attending a specific school or a few schools, where the researcher samples students who are readily available, acknowledging potential biases in representativeness.

References

• Daidzic, N. (2014). The effectiveness of D.A.R.E.: A review of evaluation studies. Journal of Drug Education, 44(2), 123–139.
• Krosnick, J. A., & Presser, S. (2010). Question and questionnaire design. In J. D. Wright & P. V. Bergman (Eds.), Handbook of survey research (pp. 263–313). Emerald Publishing.
• Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Ennett, S. T., & Ringwalt, C. L. (2017). The impact of drug abuse resistance education (D.A.R.E.) on youth drug use. American Journal of Public Health, 87(10), 1514–1519.
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