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INTRODUCTION
This document reports findings from a multi-phase study conducted to examine the nature and effectiveness of current drug education practice in Scottish schools. It was prepared for the Scottish Executive Research Economic and Corporate Strategy Unit ( RECS) by a partnership comprising two agencies: the Institute for Social Marketing (formerly the Centre for Social Marketing) at the University of Stirling and The Open University, and Dr Bob Stradling and Dr Morag MacNeil of Rannsachadh Coimhearsnachd research consultancy and the School of Education, University of Edinburgh.
Previous research has indicated that the majority of Scottish schools now deliver drug education, and that there is an apparent degree of homogeneity in the stated aims, approaches and curricula adopted. The annual SEED survey of drug education in schools, published in September 2003 1, shows that the vast majority of schools are meeting targets on the provision of drug education. However, there is a need for more detailed information on precisely how drug education is delivered: to what extent do teachers adopt teaching delivery styles which the evidence suggests are associated with greater impact, such as interactive methods? Do teachers understand and operationalise the key theoretical concepts associated with effective drug education? Even where schools are using similar curriculum packages, to what extent is there variation in delivery style and completeness which might affect the ultimate impact of the package on young people?
There is also a need for more information on how drug education is organised in schools; for example, whether it is delivered by PSHE specialists or by general form tutors, the extent to which it is delivered continuously throughout the school, and the priority given it in the school timetable. Finally, there is a pressing need to examine the views of young people themselves. Is the drug education they receive of value to them? How do they engage with it in the context of other influences in their lives, such as peers, family and the media? What knowledge and skills do they gain from it, and, crucially, does this learning help them beyond the period of compulsory education into young adulthood?
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