University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Researcher from UNC Greensboro have partnered with Prevention Strategies and key stakeholders from the Kingdom of Bahrain to conduct a study using the innovative, engineering-inspired methodological approach, the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), to optimize and evaluate the Peaceful Coexistence and Anti-Extremism middle and high school curricula. No other curriculum targeting tolerance and/or extremism has been optimized using the state-of-the-art MOST methodology. The overall goal of the project is that the optimized versions of Peaceful Coexistence and Anti-Extremism curricula will be used across the Kingdom of Bahrain and translated for use in other countries to combat the spread of extremism and intolerance. Additionally, the D.A.R.E. keepin' it REAL (kiR) and D.A.R.E. myPlaybook high school programs will be evaluated as part of the Peaceful Coexistence and Anti-Extremism evaluation.
Inclusion Criteria: * Public or private Bahraini middle or high school students. * In addition to the main evaluation questions, the following groups will also be included to make programmatic improvements. * Parents of above mentioned middle or high school students. * D.A.R.E. Officers teaching middle school and high school D.A.R.E. in Bahrain. Exclusion Criteria: * None
The Peaceful Coexistence intervention seeks to target important risk and protective factors related to tolerance and acceptance. The Anti-Extremism intervention seeks to take the same risk and protective factors covered in the Peaceful Coexistence intervention and have students' psychosocial factors shift their skills and behavior.