Prevention programs for Iow-SES, at-risk youth aimed at improving academic success and reducing delinquency generally utilize traditional behavioral or cognitive-behavioral approaches, are conducted in schools, and are often not evaluated experimentally. Such programs are often designed to directly address psychosocial skills (such as anger management) and may include education (substance abuse) or tutoring (academic skills). These programs may stigmatize Iow-SES children and may be too much like school to be appealing to adolescents. This investigation will evaluate an innovative curriculum that utilizes an asset-based, developmentally oriented, and enjoyable approach to prevention, where protective factors in Iow-SES youth are strengthened by training adolescents to be technology mentors in their communities. The program is designed to build self-esteem, self-efficacy, educational aspirations, and a prosocial peer support network in Iow-SES adolescents. Four pilot groups have had low attrition rates and have been well-received by adolescents. The proposed research will test the hypothesis that the development of computer skills and computer self-efficacy is related to improved attitudes towards school, higher grades, and less delinquency and gang activity, and that this relationship is mediated by the protective factors mentioned above. This investigation is designed to evaluate the program as a possible component in future, more comprehensive community-based prevention programs. ? ?
| Lang, Jason M; Waterman, Jill; Baker, Bruce L (2009) Computeen: a randomized trial of a preventive computer and psychosocial skills curriculum for at-risk adolescents. J Prim Prev 30:587-603 |
