Positive Action
Problems addressed
Drug abuse
Externalizing behaviors/problems
Low educational/academic performance
School violence or bullying
Effectiveness

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising

Want to know more about this classification? Check out our methodological manual.

Life periods served
Early childhood (0 to 3 years)
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Education establishment
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a school program for children and adolescents aged 5 to 14 in Hawaii and Chicago to improve social and emotional learning while reducing behavior problems.
The intervention is structured in six units that form the basis of learning: the first unit seeks to teach the philosophy of the program and offers an introduction to the relevance of positive and negative behavior, whereas the other units teach positive actions for physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies have shown that the program led to a statistically significant reduction in drug abuse, violent behavior, school violence and bullying, early sexual activity, school failure, suspensions and absenteeism, and improved school performance among students who received the intervention. There were no statistically significant differences in the measures of disruptive behavior [1] [2] [3] [4].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Beets, M. W., Flay, B. R., Vuchinich, S., Snyder, F. J., Acock, A., Li, K.‑K., Burns, K., Washburn, I. J. & Durlak, J. (2009). Use of a social and character development program to prevent substance use, violent behaviors, and sexual activity among elementary-school students in Hawaii. American Journal of Public Health, 99(8), 1438–1445. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2008.142919

[2] Lewis, K. M., Bavarian, N., Snyder, F. J., Acock, A., Day, J., DuBois, D. L., Ji, P., Schure, M. B., Silverthorn, N., Vuchinich, S. & Flay, B. R. (2012). Direct and Mediated Effects of a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program on Adolescent Substance Use. The International Journal of Emotional Education, 4(1), 56–78

[3] Li, K. K., Washburn, I., DuBois, D. L., Vuchinich, S., Ji, P., Brechling, V., ... & Flay, B. R. (2011). Effects of the Positive Action programme on problem behaviours in elementary school students: A matched-pair randomised control trial in Chicago. Psychology and Health, 26(2), 187-204.

[4] Lewis, KM, Schure, MB, Bavarian, N., DuBois, DL, Day, J., Ji, P., Vuchinich, S., & Flay, BR (2013). Comportamento problemático e jovens urbanos de baixa renda: um estudo randomizado controlado da Positive Action em Chicago. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44 (6), 622–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.06.012

Information source