Date of Award
2004
Degree Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Kathryn Quina
Abstract
Archived data from the Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center of Rhode Island (SATRC) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of their abuse awareness programs for fourth grade students. The goals of the program included helping children recognize potentially abusive situations so the abuse can be avoided, decreasing the length and extent of abuse through early disclosures, increasing disclosures so victims can received needed services and offenders can be arrested and convicted, decreasing the guilt and shame the victims feel when abuse happens, deterring juvenile offenders, and teaching children and adults how to discuss abuse and help victims. Fifty percent of the fourth grade classrooms who participated in the four workshops were randomly selected for this study for a total of 1010 students, 530 girls and 480 boys. Four-hundred forty-four were enrolled in public schools throughout Rhode Island where 50% or more of the students were living below the poverty level and 566 enrolled in schools where less than 50% of the students living below the poverty level. The students' knowledge of abuse and violence issues was assessed before and after the workshops with a 12-item questionnaire based on program objectives. Additionally, three-hundred ninety-nine of the students were given a pre-pre questionnaire four weeks before filling out the pre-program questionnaire and three-hundred fifty-nine of the students were given follow-up questionnaires four weeks and one year after completing the workshops and the post-program questionnaire. Results showed no improvement between the two questionnaires prior to the workshop (pre-pre to pre), with an average of 3.3 questions answered correctly. However, after participation in the workshops, the students answered an average of 10.5 questions correctly. Gender and school income level did not affect the scores in a meaningful way. The knowledge gained after the workshops was maintained at both the four week and one year follow-ups, with an average score of 10.1 and 10.0 respectively. These results indicate that fourth grade children are able to learn most of the material that is presented in classroom based abuse awareness programs and that the same workshops are equally effective for boys and girls and children from higher and lower SES schools.
Recommended Citation
Kikuchi, Jacqueline Jackson, "Evaluation of a child abuse awareness program" (2004). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1980.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1980
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