Automating Peer Learning to Reduce Alcohol Use and Related Deviant Behavior in Secondary School

摘要 越轨同伴关系是青少年饮酒的最重要的预测因素之一。这些联系 当处于社会边缘的青年自我聚集并加强酗酒和其他越轨活动时， (i.e.,“异常对等聚类”）。尽管该领域已经发展了有效的学校预防措施， 节目，节目效果一般都很小，而且这些节目很难忠实地传播 由于复杂的设计和所需的大量时间和金钱支出， 材料和培训。因此，现有的以学校为基础的预防方案没有提供令人信服的价值， 学校，这限制了他们的传播。在最近的一项随机对照试验中，我们的目标是减少中年人的酒精使用， 通过将处于危险中的青少年暴露在学校社交网络的更广泛的横截面中（并中断 过程中的偏差同行集群）通过协作，小组为基础的同行学习活动。我们发现 干预学校的越轨同伴关系和酒精/烟草使用率显著低于 控制学校。同伴学习对欺凌、受害、 压力和情绪问题，以及对学生参与和成就的强烈积极影响， 这表明它可以同时促进积极的行为，社会和学术成果。然而，在这方面， 本研究的干预学校教师在实施同伴学习时遇到的挑战包括：（1） 设计保真度，即，确保同侪学习提供最积极的学生经验，包括所有 基本的设计元素;和，（2）教学支持，即，管理活动的流程和时间安排 按时完成课程，同时处理意外中断。在我们的第一阶段SBIR中，我们开发了 一个移动的软件应用程序（PeerLearning.net）的初始版本，提供了易于使用的组织 具有工作流支持的模板，教师使用这些模板来自动设计和提供同伴学习 lessons.在试用期间，我们发现它在可用性、满意度和 可持续性;教师在使用应用程序时感到自信，学生报告了高度的参与度 和享受。在这个第二阶段的项目中，我们将扩大应用程序中可用的课程模板的数量 并为教师和管理员添加仪表板报告功能。有了这些新功能， 应该对教师有很大的吸引力（因为它易于使用，快速实施，灵活性和指导性 支持）和学校管理者（其基于证据的方法来预防各种行为 问题和更大的学生动机和成就）。通过在不同的地方满足各种不同的需求 在教育系统的水平，PeerLearning.net将提出一个令人信服的价值主张的学校， 区。一旦PeerLearning.net的价值得到认可，我们预计会有很高的采用率， 在一个灵活、可扩展、易于使用的框架中传播基于证据的酒精使用预防概念。这 广泛传播应能对青少年的公共卫生产生迅速和可持续的影响。

Abstract Deviant peer affiliation is one of the most important predictors of alcohol use in adolescence. These affiliations often arise when socially marginalized youth self-aggregate and reinforce alcohol use and other deviant activity (i.e., “deviant peer clustering”). Even though the field has developed efficacious school-based prevention programs, program effects are generally small, and these programs can be difficult to disseminate with fidelity and challenging to sustain due to complex designs and significant time-and-money expenditures required for materials and training. Thus, existing school-based prevention programs have not provided compelling value to schools, which has limited their dissemination. In a recent RCT, we aimed to reduce alcohol use in middle school by exposing at-risk youth to a broader cross-section of the school social network (and interrupting the process of deviant peer clustering) through collaborative, group-based peer learning activities. We found significantly lower rates of deviant peer affiliation and alcohol/tobacco use in intervention schools as compared to control schools. Peer learning also had moderate-to-strong suppressive effects on bullying, victimization, stress, and emotional problems, as well as strong positive effects on student engagement and achievement, suggesting that it can promote positive behavioral, social, and academic outcomes simultaneously. However, teachers in our intervention schools encountered challenges when implementing peer learning, including: (1) design fidelity, i.e., ensuring that peer learning provided the most positive student experience by including all the essential design elements; and, (2) instructional support, i.e., managing the flow and timing of the activities to complete the lesson on time while dealing with unexpected disruptions. In our Phase I SBIR, we developed an initial version of a mobile software application (PeerLearning.net) that provided easy-to-use organizational templates with workflow support that teachers used to automate the design and delivery of peer learning lessons. During the pilot of the app, we found that it exceeded benchmarks for usability, satisfaction, and sustainability; teachers felt confident when using the app, and students reported a high degree of engagement and enjoyment. In this Phase II project, we will expand the number of lesson templates available in the app and add dashboard reporting capabilities for teachers and administrators. With these new capabilities, the app should be highly attractive to teachers (for its ease of use, rapid implementation, flexibility, and instructional support) and school administrators (for its evidence-based approach to the prevention of a variety of behavioral problems and greater student motivation and achievement). By meeting a variety of different needs at different levels in the educational system, PeerLearning.net will present a compelling value proposition to schools and districts. Once the value of PeerLearning.net is recognized, we anticipate a high rate of adoption, enabling us to spread evidence-based alcohol use prevention concepts in a flexible, scalable, easy-to-use framework. This widespread dissemination should create a rapid, sustainable impact on public health among adolescents.