ERIC Number: EJ841335
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Sep
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-1482
EISSN: N/A
The Importance of Building and Maintaining Trust in Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Education Classrooms and Hurdles to Open Communication
deKoven, Aram
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, v51 n3 p27-56 Sep 2007
This research examines the importance of trust in the classroom, and answers the following questions: 1) is trust important to create and maintain in the classroom? 2) What is the significance of trust between a teacher and a student, and 3) do students trust their drug and alcohol educators? In-depth interviews were conducted with 38 middle school students. Analysis of the transcripts reveals the importance of trust in the classroom environment. Trust is important not only between teachers and students, but also between students and their peers. In addition, hurdles to the effective transmission of important information about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) were discovered. Chief among these revelations was the discovery that students perceive that asking questions about ATOD is tantamount to a tacit admission of guilt for having used or for contemplating using controlled substances. Implications for designers of curricula, drug and alcohol educators, and teachers of other sensitive subjects are discussed.
Descriptors: Alcohol Education, Drug Education, Trust (Psychology), Teacher Student Relationship, Interviews, Middle School Students, Classroom Environment, Peer Relationship, Student Attitudes, Barriers
American Alcohol and Drug Information Foundation. P.O. Box 10212, Lansing, MI 48901. Tel: 517-484-1770; Fax: 517-487-2474; e-mail: jadejournal@earthlink.net; Web site: http://www.jadejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A