Field Assessment of Social Learning Approach to Teaching Adolescents about Alcohol and Driving

Wodarski, John S. · 1987 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This 1987 report by John S. Wodarski evaluates the effectiveness of a social learning intervention designed to teach adolescents about alcohol and driving. Motivated by high rates of adolescent alcohol misuse and the limitations of traditional, didactic educational methods, the study sought to determine if a peer-based approach could more effectively alter knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The intervention utilized the "Teams-Games-Tournaments" (TGT) technique, a cooperative learning strategy developed at Johns Hopkins University. TGT structures classroom activities so that students work in small teams, competing against other teams rather than individually. This method leverages peer influence and group reward structures to reinforce appropriate behaviors and knowledge acquisition, addressing the significant role peers play in adolescent drinking norms. The study was conducted across five school systems in Georgia involving 1,365 ninth, tenth, and eleventh-grade students. Participants were assigned at the class level to one of three groups: the experimental TGT group (570 students), a traditional instruction group (384 students) receiving standard state-developed curriculum, and a control group (411 students) receiving no instruction. The TGT program lasted four weeks and covered alcohol education, self-management skills, and knowledge maintenance. Data were collected at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at one- and two-year follow-ups. Assessments included measures of alcohol knowledge (Engs Questionnaire), self-reported drinking behavior, attitudes toward drinking and driving (Drinking and Driving Questionnaire), impulsivity, and self-esteem. Results indicated that the TGT intervention was significantly more effective than traditional instruction or no instruction. The TGT group demonstrated a substantial positive change in attitudes toward drinking and driving (mean change of 16.48), compared to 2.68 for the traditional group and 0.94 for the control group ($F=12.88, p < .05$). TGT participants also reported a significant decrease in drinking behavior and reduced impulsivity (change of 10.64 vs. 1.33 for traditional and 2.78 for control; $F=14.82, p < .05$). Additionally, the TGT group showed statistically significant improvements in self-concept, self-esteem, and peer relations, though no significant differences were found regarding family relations. Crucially, one- and two-year follow-up data revealed that TGT students maintained these positive changes, whereas the traditional and control groups showed little to no sustained improvement. The study concludes that the TGT technique is a viable and effective method for alcohol education, successfully addressing the challenges of presenting sensitive topics to adolescents. By utilizing peer support and group rewards, the program not only increased knowledge and altered attitudes but also promoted the acquisition of alternative behaviors to avoid driving after drinking. The findings suggest that social learning approaches can produce lasting behavioral changes, offering a superior alternative to traditional instructional methods. However, the authors note that future research is needed to assess the program's impact on actual DUI incidents and alcohol-related accidents.

Key finding

Adolescents participating in the Teams-Games-Tournaments intervention showed significantly greater improvements in alcohol knowledge, reduced drinking behavior, and more positive attitudes toward drinking and driving compared to traditional and control groups, with these benefits maintained at one- and two-year follow-ups.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 1365

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• passenger effects