Web Adventures to Teach Adolescents about Inhalant Abuse

描述(由申请者提供)：为了解决NIDA的科学教育重点--“扩大利用科学信息教育公众了解药物滥用和成瘾的真实性质”，已经创建了一个成功的教育模式，向青少年传授药物滥用知识。由NIDA以前的赠款资助，关于阿片类药物和俱乐部药物的网络冒险系列被命名为RECONSTRUCTORS(http://reconstructors.rice.edu).它已被现场测试并被证明具有重大的教育影响。此外，该系列还获得了国家级奖项，实现了国际传播，并出版了几本科学教育和多媒体出版物。一个新的网络冒险被提出，专注于吸入剂。NIDA的研究表明，吸入剂作为青少年越来越多地滥用的一类物质的重要性。中学生和他们的科学老师都想更多地了解吸入剂对人体的影响，但他们不太可能花时间讲授吸入剂的影响，除非它能与当前的科学课程内容紧密结合。因此，网络冒险系列将成为一种有效和高效的方式，通过纳入国家科学标准，在规定的中学课程范围内教授吸入剂。这种方法为科学教师提供了一个计划，以补充预防工作，同时仍然涵盖强制的科学内容。关于吸入剂的网络探险教学有五个主要目标：1.通过直接纳入国家科学标准来增加学生对吸入剂生物效应的科学知识；2.将两个版本的网络探险(仅科学版和科学加版本)与控制条件进行比较，以确定在激励学生不使用吸入剂方面的短期和长期影响；3.通过网络探险模拟科学过程技能并描绘各种科学职业；4.根据实地测试的结果修改网络探险并在网上推出，供免费访问。5.通过积极的传播和出版，鼓励广泛使用吸入剂网络冒险。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): To address the science education focus of NIDA to "expand the use of scientific information to educate the public about the real nature of drug abuse and addiction," a successful educational model to teach adolescents about drugs of abuse has been created. Funded by previous NIDA grants, the web adventure series on OPIOIDS and CLUB DRUGS is titled THE RECONSTRUCTORS (http://reconstructors.rice.edu). It has been field tested and proven to have significant educational impact. In addition, the series has garnered national awards, achieved international dissemination, and resulted in several science education and multimedia publications. A new web adventure to focus on INHALANTS is proposed. NIDA research indicates the prominence of inhalants as a class of substances that adolescents are increasingly abusing. Both middle school students and their science teachers want to know more about the impact of inhalants on the human body, but it is unlikely that they will devote instructional time on the impacts of inhalants, unless it can be closely aligned with current science curriculum content. Therefore, the web adventure series will serve as an effective and efficient way to teach about inhalants within the context of the prescribed middle school curriculum by incorporating the National Science Standards. This approach provides science teachers with a program to complement prevention efforts, while still covering the mandated science content. Web Adventures to Teach about Inhalants has five primary goals: 1. lncrease students' science knowledge about the biological effects of inhalants by directly incorporating the National Science Standards; 2. Compare two versions of web Adventure (Science only version and a Science plus version) against a control condition to determine short and long term impacts in motivating students not to use inhalants; 3. Model science process skills and portray a wide variety of science careers through the Web adventure; 4. Modify the web adventure based upon the results of the field tests and launch it on the web for free access. 5. Encourage widespread use of the INHALANT web adventure through aggressive dissemination and publications.