The Formative Evaluation: Program of Addressing Drug Abuse in Schools Essay

Introduction

The proposed program sought to educate students about the challenges of drug abuse, its impacts on academic performance, and the best techniques to avoid the vice. Young people between 12 and 18 encounter external influences that can change their behaviors, engagements, and academic performance. In some instances, most of these children might abuse various legal and illegal substances due to peer influence (Seçim, 2017). Providing timely updates on addictive drugs, counseling, and education will ensure that most students receive adequate information regarding the issues, allowing them to focus on learning and achieving academic goals primarily.

The participants and program coordinators involved in the program considered several attainable and realistic aims. The goals included sensitizing students about drug abuse, guiding beneficiaries and reinforcing the participation of all subjects, and advancing inclusion in the fight against drugs (Seçim, 2017). This program’s primary stakeholders were counselors, students, parents, and educationists. Including professionals in health care, counseling, and drugs promoted the delivery of desirable results.

The first activity that supported this program’s success was identifying students who would benefit from the proposed educational sessions. Staff members identified individuals with special needs and customized the presented instructions accordingly (Seçim, 2017). The second initiative involved counselors and rehabilitation experts providing timely insights about the problem. These professionals encouraged the selected beneficiaries to submit their observations and intelligence attained after the successful completion of the program (Seçim, 2017). Parents received timely updates and instructions on guiding their children and ensuring they remained involved in addressing the significant challenges associated with drug abuse. These initiatives will allow educational networks to successfully implement the program and record positive outcomes.

Evaluation Objective Summary

• The evaluation’s general aim is to sensitize more students and teachers in the selected schools about the problems of drug abuse and its possible influences on educational outcomes (Seçim, 2017).
• The following two sessions of the evaluation project will focus on the general effects of the program on the learners (Seçim, 2017).
• The identifiable impacts from the evaluation will refer to the involved professionals to determine with finality the project’s success (Seçim, 2017).
• The included cost-benefit analysis as part of the evaluation plan is crucial to measure the plausibility of the program (Seçim, 2017).

Evaluation Method Justification

The formative evaluation analyzes intervention impacts on focus groups, allowing for formulating practical methodologies for achieving program objectives. Formative evaluation employs quantitative, qualitative, or mixed study methodologies to achieve comprehensible outcomes (Seçim, 2017). The evaluation technique encourages the contribution and sharing of information throughout the processes from initiation to completion. The conceptual models applied in formative assessments aid in selecting the audience used during investigative procedures, enhancing adaptability and project implementation.

The current concluded program under evaluation requires formative analysis for addressing drug abuse in learning institutions to understand the constructs and prevent future failures. The topic under study is vital for developing societal morals, ethics, and values, especially among schooling children (Seçim, 2017). The program requires comprehensive evaluation techniques, including formative ones. Therefore, the evaluation technique focuses on implementation-based approaches while offering potential solutions to identified challenges that could hinder objectives achievement.

Methodology

The study method applied for the evaluation is a qualitative analysis where coordinators relied on participants’ information to monitor and evaluate their feelings and thoughts towards substance abuse and potential solution to the problem among students. The evaluation program team recruited is responsible for operations and ensuring practical analysis of the program developed (Seçim, 2017). The evaluation identified a group of stakeholders and external professionals in the initial stages (Appendix A and B).

Expert Review

Subjects

Individuals prepared for this interview included external professionals who were two regional educational psychologists. Psychologists have practical skills in analyzing an individual’s cognitive, mental, and behavioral characteristics of drug abuse concerning general healthcare (Seçim, 2017). The educational psychologists’ expertise in regional management is essential for the program’s managerial insights into learning. The fieldwork and regional management of drug abuse and crime expertise of the members in the field of education will contribute towards decision-making and identifying activities.

Instruments

The instruments used included two surveys and two interview question sheets. The interview questions (Appendix C) analyze an expert’s understanding of the general topic, objectives, activities, and project outcome with no more than ten questions (Seçim, 2017). The survey explores the Likert Scale, which enabled coordinators to gather responses in various scales, upon which the evaluation team would analyze to generate the contributions of the program and its outcomes (Appendix D).

Procedure

The process started with coordinators reaching out to the targets and encouraging applications for the procedure (Seçim, 2017). The selection of experts involved identifying relevant institutions, including a community hospital and the self-employed sector. The coordinators sent emails to the organizations, demonstrating the project’s aim of evaluating a drug abuse-related project (Seçim, 2017). The organizations responded by providing members who would work with the team. Assessments happened through online meetings for group sessions and individual reviews obtained through emails.

First Learner Review

Subjects

The stakeholders included two counselors, two parents, one teacher, and one educationist. Parents are effective due to their close relationship with the students compared to other stakeholders. They monitor their children and can assist in explaining a child’s internal character and thought process, showing their need for discipline, communication, and role models, enhancing self-esteem, and developing limits (Seçim, 2017). Counselors are compassionate, value ethics, communicate, are mentally stable, and are open-minded in their interactions. Educationist’s and teacher’s skills include leadership, communication, organization, time management, critical thinking, and patience when working with students.

Instruments

The instruments included two forms, four interview sheets, and six survey materials. The forms analyzed the parents’ contribution towards effective parenting while interviewing and examined their capacity to participate in the process (Seçim, 2017). The counselors, teachers, and educationists used surveys and interviews to assess how they perceived the program and its impact on society. Interviews and surveys focused on the evaluation project, while the forms used were distinct to particular traits.

Procedure

The subjects in this criteria came from the five regional schools under investigation. The evaluation team constructed twenty-five posters and memorandums each, which the team distributed among the schools, requesting six members. The schools allowed interested candidates to apply, after which each contributed at least one participant (Seçim, 2017). After examination and validation from the institutions, the evaluation team contacted the qualified subjects and organized online sessions for assessment.

Second Learner Review

Subjects

The subjects used in this criterion were five students. Students exhibit expertise in critical thinking, adaptability, communication, problem-solving, imagination, teamwork, and agility. The students formed the crucial factor in the program under investigation since the researcher sought to address drug abuse among students; hence the large number compared to other participants (Seçim, 2017). The coordinators can obtain direct information regarding drug abuse from the students, whether they want it addressed.

Instruments

The instruments used included five forms and one interview question sheet. The forms focused on understanding the course content the students received, their satisfaction rate, and potential recommendations concerning drug abuse (Seçim, 2017). The interview questions (Appendix C) analyze the students’ comprehensive capability of the general topic, objectives, activities, and project outcome with no more than ten questions.

Procedure

Selection of the students was the simplest among the others, but there was the consideration of several factors, including performance level and disability. After approval from the institution and parents, the five students selected were from the five schools (Seçim, 2017). Meaning each school produced a student. One school had a high-performing student, one a low-performing student, the other an average student, one a disabled student, and the final a student leader, respectively. The team indicated and expressed that none of the participants were blood relatives. Assessment of the students occurred in the selected regional school and at home, where the program started and continued through online meetings.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

The evaluation involved a considerable amount of time and energy due to the nature of the activities. The evaluation team considered cost-effective techniques to maximize operations within the limited duration at the least possible cost with reduced risks (Seçim, 2017). The applied strategies include;

1. The simple design of survey materials and interview questions.
2. Ensuring participants engage and take assessments.
3. Recruiting competent individuals and using group structures to aid others towards contributing.

Deliverables and Outcomes

Regular interviews between coordinators and participants provided data that guided the evaluation through decision-making regarding incentives that ensured the program’s success. The evaluation report, established one month after the project proposal, displays the project outcomes summary (Seçim, 2017). The information presented an analysis of the continuation of approximately ten individual activities addressing drug abuse in learning institutions and potential solutions for the following activities. Reported data documentation remains in the management of the evaluation team, detailing activities, interviews, surveys, and referenced sources.

Challenges

The evaluation process did not escape the realities of enduring challenges in research. The evaluation team desired to obtain auditing personnel to analyze costs and funding for the program effectively. However, funding limitations could not foster the idea (Seçim, 2017). Furthermore, limited participants and time for data collection and analysis occurred due to insufficient funds for activities. It became a concern that the formative evaluation report was of primary value to the objectives developed, and any misleading remarks could lead to failure. Bias practices in the research were a risk since individuals may provide inaccurate information for personal gains. Regardless, the coordinators designed the program to enhance the objectives’ validity and respective activities, which geared the evaluation toward success.

Conclusion

The formative evaluation project is significant for developing, integrating, and implementing program design to address drug abuse in schools. The participants involved in the evaluation process have certain similarities regarding the subject matter hence their selection (Seçim, 2017). Their differences show in diverse data sets, contributing to creating techniques and recommendations favorable for all targets. The project inevitably obtained positive responses and cooperation due to the value and seriousness society attributes towards learners and their need to assist them through critical phases of growth and development. The positive attitude toward the evaluation process significantly contributed to the general design.

The establishment of recommendations for the subject matter culminated from the program’s comprehensive analysis. The evaluation team demonstrated the need for the researchers to have the necessary theoretical and practical skills concerning learning institutions and drug abuse. Measurement of objectives and framework analysis elicited change and positive outcomes for the program (Seçim, 2017).

The program would indulge communication and talent development projects among students, counselors, teachers, parents, and educationists to develop virtual assistant software applications to assist them in monitoring the rate of drug abuse within their environments. Regardless, the evaluation team displayed satisfaction with several participants’ successful objectives and engagement. The evaluation approach approves that with adequate training, local participants can contribute to evaluation processes to validate or invalidate a research project.

References

Seçim, G. (2017). A study on substance abuse prevention. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 13(6), 2485-2504. Web.

Stakeholder Evaluation

Timeline

Interview Questions

1. Does the project elicit a comprehensive definition of the subject matter?
2. How does the definition account for the target audience?
3. Do the outlined objectives meet the standards to enable the researchers to continue the project?
4. Are the scope and justification elaborative?
5. How are particular issues articulated in the provided documentation?
6. How are effective solutions configured to manage identified problems?
7. Are the activities and processes accurately sequenced and clustered?
8. Does the reference material align with and meet expectations of the subject matter?
9. How do you perceive the development and future performance of the project?
10. Kindly provide additional comments, questions, or recommendations.

Survey

Thank you for participating in this study. Confidentiality is crucial, and the team will consider personal information concerning personal data and responses to all assessments to hide identity. NOTE: Kindly read and comprehend the question and only tick the box that accurately defines your answer per question.

N/A – Not Applicable

1. – Strongly Disagree
2. – Disagree
3. – Neutral
4. – Agree
5. – Strongly Agree