Posted: May 12th, 2022

A HIGH SCHOOL-BASED EDUCATION CONCERNING STUDENT ILLEGAL DRUG USE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION PROGRAM

A HIGH SCHOOL-BASED EDUCATION CONCERNING STUDENT ILLEGAL DRUG USE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION PROGRAM
By

A Doctoral Capstone Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

June, 2020

Abstract
Many students are widely engaging in illegal drug use at the study site, which is a secondary level high school, located in a mid-western suburban community. The purpose of the project is to develop a professional development training curriculum that seeks to improve the issues concerning students and drug abuse in the high school. To address the problem of illegal drug use, the research will propose training products within the professional development training course. The focus is on ensuring that teacher and administrators participate in three professional development training sessions. The study recommends the use of a backward design model since it is the most appropriate program. Basing on the idea that learning is cyclical; the training model will provide the best outcomes. It is also useful since it will give the learners a chance to offer their recommendations, which is essential in identifying ways and approaches to improve student well-being. The participating groups would include 130 teachers and 7 administrators. The rationale for developing a professional development training session is based on the needs assessment conducted in the study site. The training sessions need to address the problem of drug use in school. The project must determine how to benefit the teachers and administrators and provide lasting solutions to issues affecting students. The project will seek to address the following problems. The first is to improve educator practice in adult learning and to foster collaboration within educational institutions. The project intend to influence the lives of many people, including about 1,960 students, 130 teachers’ and seven administrators. It will also enhance moral acuity, especially among students who have been influenced into drug use and provide the rehabilitative effect that will enable them to come back to their senses and make proper decisions for their lives. The impact of the project is intended to go beyond the school environment.

Dedication
I dedicate my doctoral capstone project work to my family and many friends. I want to give special gratitude to my loving wife, Torree Munson, who has been my inspiration and encouragement throughout my doctoral journey. I dedicate this doctoral project to my late parents, Carlos Munson Jr. and Bertha Mae Powell, neither of you are here to witness this moment, but your spirit covers me. My children, London, Desmond, Dejah, and Ailliona, I hope my doctoral project influences your educational progress and endeavors, with the understanding that there are no limits to success.
I also dedicate this doctoral project to my spiritual father and mother, Bishop Calvin and Debra Scott, of Believer’s Temple Word Fellowship Church. I thank you for the spiritual guidance and constant uplift during my doctoral process.
Lastly, I dedicate this doctoral project to my aunt Janice Tompkins, who endured a life-changing experience by moving from New York back to St. Louis, Missouri to finish raising my brother and me after our mother passed, I love you dearly!

Acknowledgments
I would first like to acknowledge and give praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for covering me during this scholarly journal. I want to thank my fellow doctoral students at Capella University, for their support, feedback, and friendship. I want to thank all my instructors for each academic course for insight and educational leadership. I want to express the most profound appreciation to my Doctoral Capstone Project mentor Dr. Elizabeth Burch, who has the attitude and the substance of a genius: she continually and convincingly conveyed a spirit of adventure concerning research and scholarship and excitement concerning educational learning. Without his guidance and persistent help, this Doctoral Capstone Project would not have been possible. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the committee team, Dr. Jacobson and Dr. Orizondo-Harding for all the feedback and guidance; I thank you whole-heartedly.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments iv
SECTION 1. BACKGROUND 1
Overview of Doctoral Capstone Project [Hit Tab to position page numbers] 1
Alignment to the Specialization
Problem Statement and Purpose of the Deliverable
Evidence/Data Used to Establish Rationale for Deliverable
Historical Background of the Problem
Organizational Context
Theoretical Framework
Other Scholarly Literature
Ethical Considerations
SECTION 2. PROCESS
Introduction
Project Design/Method
Project Outcomes/Learning Objectives
Development Process
Assessment Plan
SECTION 3. APPLICATION
Introduction
Relevant Outcomes and Findings
Application and Benefits
Target Audience
Institution/Setting
Beyond the Local Setting
Implications for the Professional Specialization
Recommendations
Conclusion
REFERENCES

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND
Overview of Doctoral Capstone Project
The purpose of this capstone project is to develop a professional development training program to improve the issues with students using and abusing illegal drugs in school. The goal is for the study site’s teachers and administrators to apply the knowledge obtained from the professional development training to help mitigate the issues with student illegal drug use. Adolescents’ illegal drug use is a complex and persistent problem, whereas the concerns with drug use in educational institutions are seemly more frequent, as more students become users (Elkins, Fite, Moore, Lochman, & Wells, 2014). The rationale for developing the professional development training is based on the needs assessment, which was conducted by this researcher (School Resource Officer), who has a full understanding of the problem at the study site.
Additionally, the primary deliverable will address specific concerns that the study site has endured regarding illegal drug use among the students for several years. Yes, there are existing off-the-shelf training software products offered by outside companies. However, most outside products have a universal approach. This capstone project will have a unique solution that will address the issue of students’ illegal drug use head-on for the study site.
The capstone project will influence the organization and the target audience in various ways. First, it will enable not only the study site but also other neighboring learning institutions experiencing the same problem with hopeful solutions towards minimizing the increasing statistics of illegal drug use among the students. On the other hand, the project will affect the teachers and administration, by providing up-to-date strategies on how to overcome the increasing cases of students involved in drug use and will present a positive outcome for the entire school district.
The capstone project is relevant to the adult education specialization and professional field because as the teachers and school administrators participate in professional development training, they are engaging in the four principles of andragogy theory. Primarily, the aspect of andragogy is consistent and essential to the project outcomes and course subject matter given that the teachers and administrators are adult learners. In regards to the approach mentioned above, adult education will offer adequate and appropriate guidance to the teachers and school additionally.
Consequently, the teachers will develop an aptitude to comprehend numerous and diverse intrinsic principles, autonomy, implications of the different learning techniques, and lastly, essential engagements with the students. Additionally, adherence to this aspect of the adult education specialization will influence the process of adult training designation greatly. Furthermore, the elementary components of the adult learning theory will be achieved hence establishing a dire attraction of adult learners. The adult education specialization will create some sufficient consideration of dynamics for customized training for this precise group of learners enabling the learners to acquire the fundamental skills (Merriam & Bierema, 2014).
Noticeably, the professional field of adult education requires adequately trained and competent personnel. In regards to this factor, the relevance to the professional field for this Doctoral Capstone Deliverable is essential. It will accomplish its focus in ensuring that the professionals who, in this case, are the teachers and high school administrators develop a variety of abilities to cope with students and the mitigating issues of illegal drug use. Remarkably, the presence of professionals in the field will prompt a proper creation of a conducive learning setting that will meet the desires of students. A conducive learning environment happens to be an essential constituent of flourishing education programs. In such a context, learners are anticipated to contribute to their learning responsibilities.
Alignment to the Specialization
The doctoral capstone project expands knowledge and informs practice in the specialization of adult education as described in Capella University’s Doctor of Education Programs of Professional Practice handbook in the following ways:
i. The topic is research-based to improve educator practice and adult learning
The research, especially in education, is paramount to enhancing the teaching practices and active learning of the target population. The improvement in knowledge, skills, and experience succeeds through action research on themes of interest and relevance. The researcher and stakeholders will gain a wide range of benefits:
First, the project will help discover the most appropriate solutions to the problems of students’ drug use at school to enhance academic performance. Second, the project underpins the professional learning and development of various stakeholders by increasing their understanding, skills, and knowledge in their different professional practices. It also provides a connection to relevant sources of information and help build networks of professional support. Moreover, it enhances a better understanding of both the policy and professional context locally, organizationally, and nationally, enabling an effective and strategic teaching practice.
Besides, the illegal drug use and awareness program enhances the practice of adult education, where they are able to make decisions. The information given demonstrates how people should deal with drugs in the community, which becomes one of the regular practices by the learners hence, enhancing adult learning. Therefore, adults learn from such information, and in turn educate their children on how not to engage in such illegal controlled substance activity (Botvin & Griffin, 2015).
ii. The topic involved collaboration within the educational institution
Implementing the project within an educational institution offers many benefits and linkages. First, it provides an opportunity for effective collaborative teaching and learning for teachers, students, and parents, thereby inspiring critical thinking to improve problem-solving skills. The project also improves social interactions among students, teachers, administrators, and parents to enhance healthy interpersonal relationships and support diversity. Besides, the collaboration within the educational institution helps in developing proper self-management skills among the students, teachers, and parents. The project is mainly helpful for students who expects to develop strong decision-making skills that kick-start and maintain their moral acuity, enhance ethical behavior and confidence, and boost academic performance.
In addition to the alignments above, the capstone project advances the science of adult education such that the professional development training provides the scenario behind addiction. The effects of drug use explained in detail how the drugs affect the general health of an individual (Blevins, Barnes, Stephens, Walker, & Roffman, 2016). The continued exposure creates awareness in which school staff utilized the information to guide their students not only to avoid drugs but also to be aware of the side effects.
Problem Statement and Purpose of the Deliverable
The problem is that many students are epidemically engaging in illegal drug use at Hazelwood Central High School, resulting in poor academics, attendance, and discipline.
Improving teachers and administrators knowledge and awareness regarding students’ illegal drug use will potentially create strategies to mitigate the adverse health and social consequences of drug use. Moreover, the high percentage of students using and experimenting with illegal drugs creates a performance gap that exists between those who do not. There are many related causes of the problem, beginning with the social influence through music entertainment, peer pressure, academic stress, loneliness and anxiety, curiosity, and rapid irritability. In addition to a significant cause of the problem, parental misuse of drugs and disagreements elevate students’ use of illicit drugs.
The purpose of the project and deliverable is to develop a professional development training program to improve the issues with students using and abusing illegal drugs in school, as a conventional approach for the teachers and administrative staff. This program allowed the teachers and administrators an opportunity to acquire knowledge about the effects of drug misuse on adolescents, to enhance their teaching and administrative skills, and to build positive relationships with their adolescents.
To address the problem of illegal drug use among the students at the study site, this researcher conducted a curriculum product deliverable within a professional development-training course by use of a PowerPoint presentation and workshop, which provided a public institution of secondary education with the essential tools to promote adequate student drug awareness and prevention.
Evidence/Data Used to Establish Rationale for Deliverable
The illegal drug use among the students has increased over the past two school years (2017/18 – 2018/19) at Hazelwood Central High School at an astounding 45 percent. Within those two previous school years, there have been 43 incidents involving students caught in possession of and using illegal drugs. Of the 43 events, all of the students had correlated issues regarding poor academics, attendance, and disciplinary records. The students’ causal drug of choice has been marijuana, edibles (brownies, crispy rice treats, gummy bears), and vapors containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a main ingredient of cannabis. During the 2018/19, school year, the school encountered five students, who had chemical reactions to consuming edibles that resulted in emergency hospital treatment.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) research reports were a great help in informing the development of my project deliverable. According to the NIDA (2019) reports by the time adolescents become high school seniors, almost 70 percent of the students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose. Many factors influence whether an adolescent tries drugs, including the availability of drugs within the neighborhood, community, school, and whether the adolescent’s friends are using them (NIDA, 2019). The family environment is also important: Violence, physical or emotional abuse, mental illness, or drug use in the household increase the likelihood an adolescent will use drugs. The NIDA reports provided vital information on behavioral and biological mechanisms underlying drug abuse and addiction. The data reports provided in-depth information on the causes and consequences of drug abuse, which established suitable interventions for drug abuse and addiction at Hazelwood Central High School.
In addressing the problem, the school administrators have only retroactively utilized student disciplinary consequences. However, this researcher has routinely addressed the issue with the students during classroom lesson instructions, providing the students with information on the criminal, medical, and social effects of engaging in illegal drug use. This researcher has also provided parents with drug abuse referrals to facilities that could help the students with their illicit drug use and abuse problems.
In addition, this researcher (SRO) conducted a needs assessment utilizing informal one-on-one interviews with the teachers and administrators regarding the statement of the problem. After the needs assessment, this researcher discovered that all key stakeholders were supportive and willing to participate in this capstone project to learn how to improve the problem. The needs assessment also identified the lack of knowledge and skills that the teachers and administrators possessed to deal with the study site’s problem.
All collected data and tools used for processing and developing this researcher’s capstone project complied with the school district’s research policies, ethical considerations, and complying with Capella University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards.
Historical Background of the Problem
High school years comprise rapid maturation for teenagers as they transition into adulthood. During this time, teenagers can intellectually engage in a variety of topics and can engage in intelligent discussions. It is hard to distinguish them from older adults physically. Most teenagers also have added responsibilities such as working and driving, which may make them feel like true adults (Abbasi-Ghahramanloo, Fotouhi, Zeraati, & Rahimi-Movaghar, 2015). However, despite their physical growth, their brains are still underdeveloped, and these may bring about a range of unusual behaviors that most adults may not understand. As such, teenagers usually have surging hormones that lead them to seek acceptance and desire to fit in with their peers (LaBotz & Griesemer, 2016). Because of their tendency to engage in risky behavior, most teenagers start experimenting with alcohol and illegal drugs. Studies show that by the time they are 18, over 60% of high school students will have experimented with smoking and alcohol, while over half of this number will have experimented with illegal drugs (Abbasi-Ghahramanloo et al., 2015; Rasberry et al., 2017). The teenage brain is typically still undergoing development, and this means that it is highly susceptible to damage from drug use and excessive drinking. Teenagers who abuse alcohol and drugs are also more likely to develop an addiction later on in their lives.
According to Blevins et al. (2016), teenagers who started drinking before the age of 13 have a 42% chance of later becoming alcoholics, while those who started drinking at the age of 20 have an 11% chance (Blevins et al., 2016). High school students may start experimenting with alcohol and drugs for numerous reasons. Some high schoolers just enjoy the euphoria that they get when they consume alcohol, while others use alcohol and drugs to cope with stressful situations in their lives, and other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression (Schmits, Mathys, & Quertemont, 2015). Research conducted on high school drug abuse by Palamar and Acosta (2015) found that academic pressure is a significant contributor to drug abuse among high school students. The study found that teenagers who had mental stress because of low grades were seven times more likely to use marijuana and four times more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol.
Similarly, studies also found that exceptional access to alcohol and drugs in high school environments increased the likelihood of use and abuse (Varadinova, Valcheva-Traykova, & Boyadjieva, 2016). High schools that have illegal drugs and peddlers also contribute to high rates of marijuana and illicit drug use in students. A survey study conducted by Jalilian et al. (2015) and Sudhinaraset, Wigglesworth and Takeuchi (2016) found that about half of all American high school students know another student who sells drugs within or near their school. Also, 52% of the surveyed high school students reported that there are drinking spots in their schools where teenagers are permitted to drink and use drugs and tobacco products.
Studies also show that fortunately, the majority of teenagers who decide to experiment with drugs and illegal substances will not develop an addiction if they discontinue the habits soon after, though some students will develop addictions (Vogel, Rees, McCuddy, & Carson, 2015). One in every nine students who experiment with alcohol and illegal drugs develop some sort of dependence on them (Liakoni, Schaub, Maier, Glauser, & Liechti, 2015). However, it is not possible to predict or prove which teens will get addicted and which ones will not.
Studying the historical background of drug use and addiction helps to understand the motivating factors that lead teenagers to engage in drug and alcohol consumption. The researchers obtained this historical background using different methods and approaches. First, the investigators researched a wide range of previous studies and came up with plausible and credible sources that highlighted how the problem came to be. The study also utilized interview responses from stakeholders and other study participants to understand the historical background of the problem. Stakeholders in Hazelwood Central High School can use this information to better understand and counsel students who are currently using illegal drugs and consuming alcohol in the school.
Organizational Context
The organizational study site is one of many public educational institutes located in mid-western suburban community. The high school, established in 1966, experienced rapid growth of the student population, forcing a shift from a primary to a secondary level educational facility. The high school has grown into one of the most competitive schools in the district. It offers an opportunity for all students to perform well, with teachers playing a pivotal role in developing student capabilities to enhance performance in school. The student body, with an enrollment of approximately 1,960, is 75% African American, with the remaining percentage split between Hispanic, Asian, and White American students. The teaching and administrative staff is racially balanced, with 80% of the faculty possessing advanced educational degrees, and many sharing a progressive approach to learning and teaching.
At the study site, various factors have led to the occurrence of illegal drug use among students. Cultural factors include the rampant use of mobile phones by students that enable them to connect with suppliers for illicit drugs. Political factors include drug laws, policies, and enforcement (Wills et al., 2017). The inadequate enforcement of community drug laws inspires reluctance among students to follow them within the community and school environment. Economic factors that influence illegal drug use among students include poverty and unemployment (Arrazola et al., 2015). Social factors also can influence unlawful drug use among students, which may include peer pressure. Students whose friends are addicted to illegal drugs may also be attracted to such illicit behavior through peer influence.
The systemic factor involved in illegal drug use is the academic pressure that causes stress among students (Jalilian et al., 2015). Students face many challenges, such as keeping up with academic assignments and extracurricular activities. As they expect to deliver on time, some students may resort to illegal drug use to calm their stress, so they can continue their work. Apart from that, a vast number of assignments can also cause depression. Some students find it challenging to keep abreast of the constant string of academic assignments, which may inspire despondency and dejection. As a result, some students are enticed to use drugs for relief.
The school’s efforts to address illegal drug abuse have led to limited improvements, as students have not yet been convinced not to abuse drugs. Instead, students only receive threats of legal interventions or punishments that are typically issued at school (Arrazola et al., 2015). The professional development training will fill this gap by educating teachers, administrators, and parents about drug abuse to enhance knowledge and suitable intervention.
Target Audience
In the project, the target audience for the professional development training will be (130) teachers and (7) administrators. This target audience interacts with the students on many occasions, and as a result, including them in the process of reducing the incidences of illegal drug use can help improve and reach the project’s desired objectives.
Theoretical Framework
The capstone project was congruent with the theories of learning for its theoretical framework. However, “no one theory explains how adults learn, just as no one theory explains all human learning. Existing theories provide frameworks or models, each of which contributes something to our understanding of adults as learners” (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999, p. 271). These are sets of principles or philosophies, explaining how people acquire, retain, and remember knowledge.
Identifying the most appropriate theoretical approach will help enhance the success of the project. According to ALBashtawy, Batiha, Tawalbeh, Tubaishat, and AlAzzam (2015), this is because such theories will provide guidelines for selecting instructional strategies, techniques, and tools that enhance learning. The project utilized four main theories of learning to enhance success, such as andragogy, constructivism, behaviorism, and cognitive information processing theories.
Adult Learning Theory
Adult learning theory is also known as andragogy. Malcolm Knowles, who is considered the founder father of the adult learning theory, established that there are five basic assumptions that influence adult learning: self-concept, the adult learning experience, readiness to learn, orientation, and motivation to learn (Merriam & Caffarella). It is the conception or study of the numerous methods in which adults gain knowledge of something and how this varies from children. Additionally, this supposition aspires to illustrate the distinction of adult learning and recognize the numerous learning models, which suit them appropriately (Clapper, 2010). Taking into consideration that adults possess an exceptional technique of learning, the theory captures four fundamental principles that clarify how to establish training for them superlatively.
a) Adults tend to have the desire in the involvement of how the training is designed, distributed, and also executed in the process of learning. Notably, they always wish to be in charge of what they learn, the time for learning, and the mode for learning too.
b) Adults acquire a lot whenever they can drawback from the precedent experiences into the course of learning. Remarkably, this is typically articulated by the aid of the behaviorism theory.
c) The procedure of memorization of details does not guarantee an appropriate learning mode for adults. Problem solving and reasoning serves best for them to learn. The theory of cognitive learning majorly envisions the process of thinking.
d) Adults will often ask the numerous ways in which the information given to them can be significant and applicable later in their lives.
In regards to the adult learning theory, it is quite evident that the supposition gets hand in hand with the other three theories.
Constructivism Theory
The constructivism theory of learning emphasized the role of social influences, human consciousness, and free will in acquiring and retaining knowledge. People learn through experience and reflection of those experiences. The theory explains that erudition is a vigorous, contextualized procedure of establishing understanding slightly than attaining it (Bada & Olusegun, 2015). Notably, knowledge is constructed based on individual experiences and suppositions of the surroundings. Based on this fact, it is conspicuous that the behaviorism theory plays its role in the operation of this theory too. Conversely, a learner incessantly tests these suppositions through the aid of societal concession. Every individual has a diverse elucidation and a course of knowledge construction. Besides, the constructivism theory of learning accentuates the function of societal persuasion, individual perception, and the complimentary will in attaining and safeguarding knowledge
Behaviorism Theory
Behaviorism theory asserts that environmental stimuli influence the institutional culture of transmittal of expertise. The theory merely lays its focus on independently visible behaviors and reduces any sovereign actions of the brain. Remarkably, behavior theorists delineate learning as the process of fresh behavior acquisition caused by diverse environmental circumstances (Ertmer & Newby, 2019). However, the theory is a global view that supposes that a learner is reflexive, retorting to environmental stimuli. The learner commences as a sparkling slate, and their behavior is formed in the course of constructive fortification or unconstructive fortification
Cognitive Learning Theory
Moreover, the cognitive approach stands on conscious conversation, thoughts, emotion, and decision-making on mental processes. Cognitive learning is one of the most effective learning theories that enhance better knowledge retention and recall. Additionally, the theory is an extensive hypothesis that clarifies the thoughts and contradictory psychological procedures and the ways through which both inner and exterior aspects affect them so that they can to create learning in persons. The exterior elements may include factors such as the environment, hence proving that the theory interrelates partially to the other one of behaviorism. Outstandingly, whenever the processes of cognition are functioning appropriately, then attainment and the process of storing knowledge operates best. In contrast, ineffective methods of cognition prompt learning holdups and numerous challenges. Regarding the cognitive learning theory, it is among the most efficient approaches to learning that augment improved recall and knowledge preservation.
Regarding the theories mentioned above, it is, to a certain extent, evident that they are all interdependent to each other. The significance of each of the theories serves as a merit for the other. Notably, a dire consideration of all these theories would lead to a momentous conception of substantial learning progress.
Other Scholarly Literature
Several scholarly articles support the capstone project deliverable as the most suitable intervention to illegal drug use among students. Professional development training is the best way of eradicating illicit drug abuse within an educational institution (Haffajee, Jena, & Weiner, 2015). Even more so, training enhances the information that is essential to controlling drug abuse (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). Thorough content development is an excellent stride to ensuring success in addressing illegal drug use (Mendive, Weiland, Yoshikawa, & Snow, 2016). Likewise, Sancassiani et al. (2015) found out that professional development boosts the wellbeing of the people through stabilizing their emotions and mental acuity.
There was additional scholarly literature found by this researcher that addressed the topic of this capstone project, which is the “Student Drug Use Awareness and Prevention Program.” Linfield and Posavac (2018) suggest that the use of illegal drugs among students has been known to cause adverse effects in all aspects of their lives. They tend to face health, social, and other consequences related to drug use. Sancassiani et al. (2015) outline the impacts of drug abuse. They suggested that it leads to deterioration in the academic performance of an individual. This is because these drugs interfere with the cognitive abilities of an individual and, therefore, makes one lose their cognitive skills. Their minds tend to operate under the manipulation of the drugs, and thus the mind cannot support itself effectively. This way, a student fails to grasp whatever they are taught.
Haffajee, Jena, and Weiner (2015) suggested that students who use drugs have shown characters of indiscipline within the school environment. The reason is that they tend to feel they are in control over the drugs’ influence; therefore, they disregard anyone who tries to show authority. Mendive et al. (2016) postulate that a student’s truancy is because of drug use. These students are more likely to avoid school so that they get a chance to deal with the drugs. These students are usually unkempt and have poor personal hygiene.
On the other hand, ALBashtawy et al. (2015) displayed evidence that those students who do not use the drugs exhibit excellent performance, unlike their counterparts. The use of illegal drugs has manifested itself in various educational facilities. It is endangering the productive generations and depriving them of the power to partake in economic sustainability in the future.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical Research Guidelines
The completion and development of this capstone project are guided by the ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report (Miracle, 2016). The federal regulations and ethical principles generated by the Belmont Report provide a framework to analyze and evaluate research studies involving human subjects (Miracle, 2016). The Belmont Report focuses on three primary ethical principles: respect for persons; beneficence; and justice (Miracle, 2016). The first principle, respect for persons, suggests that every participating individual should be treated as an autonomous agent who is entitled to protection. Therefore, school administrators and teachers in the capstone project are given full courtesy, permitting informed consent, without any deception presented by this researcher. The second ethical principle is beneficence, wherein this researcher maximized the benefits of engaging participants in matters concerning student drug abuse while minimizing their potential risk during the capstone project. And, lastly, the principle of justice suggests that participants should be treated equally, and that well-considered practices are directed impartially.
These ethical principles provide researchers with a vital protocol overview to participant risk and likely ethical dilemmas. Moreover, an objective research review might be necessary for the capstone project, as highly inspired people often tend to focus more on their goals and might unintentionally overlook other aspects or implications regarding their own work. This researcher’s capstone project maintained the ethical considerations for human participation risk, the study site, and Capella University’s IRB approval.
Ethical Principles of Research-Human Participation Risk
Numerous research studies promote human health and improve the understanding of science. However, volunteer or required participants in research projects should always be remembered, as there are several precautions researchers can take to protect participants. As a standard requirement at Capella University, this researcher submitted pertinent documents, to include the capstone project topic and proposal form to Capella’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The review consisted of a thorough examination of human participant risk, which determined that the capstone project did not meet the federal regulation’s definition of human subject research (See Appendix A).
Site Permission
Site permission is a written agreement and document that grants authorization to a relevant researcher to conduct research and scholarly activities. The study site and Capella University requires researchers to obtain site permission to do legal research. To gain the required approval, this researcher completed the study site’s application to perform research and Capella University’s site permission letter. The Helpant superintendent responsible for Professional Development, and School Improvement at the study site, received both documents and granted district permission for research (See Appendix B). The site permission letter was forwarded along with the researcher’s capstone project topic and proposal form to complete of Milestone 3 satisfactorily.
SECTION 2. PROCESS
Introduction
The purpose of developing a training curriculum was to offer teachers reliable methods of mitigating the use of illegal drugs among the students. Seçim (2017) suggests that, for many decades, teachers have incorporated methods that minimize instances of drug abuse in schools. The approaches have often aimed to engage students and provide lessons about the intention that education and awareness about drugs can change their behaviors (Pereira, Paes & Sanchez, 2016). However, the goal of behavior change has raised controversial questions regarding the efficiency and the rate of modifications noted across different learning institutions.
In response to this, introducing more education and teacher-oriented approaches could benefit illegal drug-use prevention. The training program will be constructed on the backward theory model upon which teachers and school administrators can contribute different views in ensuring success if the policies and the newly introduced program. The training program offers an opportunity to access educational components required for school drug-abuse prevention (Botvin & Griffin, 2015); therefore, the training provides an opportunity for teachers to gain diverse knowledge and skills needed in managing different cases of drug abuse.
The current challenge at the study site is that a high percentage of the students have become engaged in the drug-abuse. Therefore, the training program would offer advanced management tools that focus on managing both the health and social impacts of drug abuse. Poor performance has been noted, along with illegal drug abuse among students (Seçim, 2017). Therefore, teachers need to understand the consequences of leaving out students affected by the problem. The training will focus on diverse management methods that analyze risk exposures that threaten student’s lives in schools. The training format will also provide sustenance to the projects’ learning objectives and outcomes with importance on adult learning.
Project Design/Method
Adult learning is and remains a significant activity that plays a crucial role in society today. However, the backward design has been discussed, for it is a critical factor for the success of adult learning. Backward design refers to an educational approach that was initially found in the Understanding by Design framework, which was developed by Wiggins and McTighe (2005). The Understanding by Design emphasized teaching for knowledge, and this implies that the outcome is the focal point of planning. The backward design, therefore, refers to the process of designing a lesson around the expected result. The instructors will, consequently, set their teaching objectives and then build their operations around the identified and set goals. It is important to note that educators have many standards and goals to accomplish in mind.
Backward design is one of the methods of designing an educational curriculum (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). However, this researcher used backward design because of the three stages of implementation that provide a clear direction for adult learning. It is also evident that the backward design forms an integral component of the adult learning theories described and used in this capstone project. Notably, such integration enhances the alignment of the results to the professional goals and prioritizes the knowledge that focused on the most crucial needs for the learners.
The backward design engages the users in developing goals and identifying the right instructional strategies (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). It prioritizes the curriculum as a primary factor that facilitates goal achievement through the three stages, which first requires identification of the results and models needed in developing the new training program (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The second stage is to establish evidence of the results collected during the research that involves different factors that analyze different through which students can change their behaviors. Acceptable levels of evidence vary based on the data used and the number of participants engaged in a specific study. The third stage is to have design activities that aim to provide the desired result that can successfully asses the data. It further determines the knowledge and skills that students need to achieve the necessary change.
However, much of the focus is given to the process, and this destroys the abilities of the students to effectively develop a proper understanding of the connections between different elements that enhance outcomes (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). The integration of the backward design has been a significant point of focus for adult educators. Research shows that inclusion of the backward design in adult learning enhances the alignment of the results to the professional goals and the needs of the workplace (Mosher, Freeman, Field, & Hurburgh, 2009). In the same way, the model prioritizes the knowledge and focus on the most crucial needs for the students aimed at understanding the experience and focuses on the essential elements that students may find necessary to understand and achieve.
Project Outcomes/Learning Objectives
In regards to the capstone project deliverable, there ought to be an appropriate generation of strategic project outcomes and learning objectives that will aid the school administrators and teachers as they handle the student affairs daily. Notably, the project outcomes are categorized into three categories based on their timeframes, namely; short-term, mid-term, and long-term outcomes.
Short-term outcomes
• Administrators and teachers will gain the sensitivity and capacity to recognize indicators of drug use among students.
• Administrators and teachers will be enriched with knowledge concerning the causation and progression of the drug use culture among the students.
Mid-term outcome
• The administrators and teachers will complement each other in proactively addressing active and potential cases of drug use among students before they escalate beyond control.
Long-term outcomes
• Teachers will develop an individualized approach for handling students identified as using drugs to avoid unprecedented student-teacher conflicts.
• Administrators will develop a sustained framework for addressing the predisposing factors of students to drugs, a proliferation of the drug culture, and establish deterrence mechanisms.
Additionally, as aforementioned, the deliverable is inclusive of numerous learning objectives that ought to be accomplished for the project to be deemed successful. Obviously, based on the aspect of the implementation process, the school administrators, and teachers should attain the following:
1. Gain an understanding of the ways students get involved with illegal drug use.
2. Understand the effects of drug abuse on the lives of students.
3. See the need for radical intervention on students’ illicit drug use.
4. Develop suitable strategies for mitigating the problem.
5. Implement established strategies to produce desirable outcomes.
The desire of the project outcomes and learning objectives was dependent on one significant aspect. Each program of education, course, or guidance action commences with a renowned target (Caffarella & Daffron, 2013). The critical goal is capable of being split down into explicit and concise statements about all the tasks that the learners will be able to perform once there course reaches completion (Mahajan & Singh, 2017). Remarkably, the rationale for the project’s outcome and learning objectives was to offer the school administrators and the teachers an apparent reason for focusing on their learning efforts and guiding them on the strategies of assessment.
Lastly, it is quite evident that the capstone project outcomes and learning objectives of the deliverable adequately relate to the needs identified earlier. Predominantly, the demand for this project is to develop a professional development training program to improve the issues with students using illegal drugs in school. In addition to helping the administrators and teachers apply, the knowledge obtained from the professional development training to help alleviate the issues with student illicit drug use. Apparently, this is all that the learning objectives and outcomes are gearing towards, expansion of individualized techniques that help teachers tackle the issues relating to the learners abusing drugs.
Development Process
The development and content of this training course were constructed on the informal needs assessment of the teachers and school administrators, who are the capstone project’s target audience. This researcher will conduct a facilitated professional development training (in-person workshop) for the capstone project deliverable. The content discussed during the training will be corresponding to the issues of students’ illegal drug use. The project deliverable is dischargeable through three-day hands-on learning sessions for the participants, each session lasting four hours. On the first day of training, three professional experts in the field of adolescent drug abuse will conduct a panel discussion on strategical methods for improving the study site’s student culture. This researcher will moderate the discussion. After the panel discussion and lunch, the participants will participate in break out groups to further discuss the strategies provided in the panel discussion.
The training course will follow the backward design model theory for curriculum development and incorporate the program outcomes and learning objectives that were established based on the needs assessment and relevant research literature. A formative Assessment will be issued to each participant after each training session for project suggestions and to determine if the project outcomes and learning objectives are being fulfilled. Three months after the training, a summative Assessment will be emailed to each participant to obtain the project’s sustainability.
Assessment Plan
An Assessment is completed to help inform decision-making about the program, to determine the program’s worth, and to make improvements to the program (Spaulding, 2014). Since an Assessment component is key to program development, after the draft curriculum is developed, the researcher will have an informal meeting with the site’s administrators and school district leadership to present the curriculum and seek their input.
This researcher will be using Kirkpatrick’s Assessment model to assess the effectiveness of this professional development training to the target population, which is considered the best-known Assessment methodology for determining learning processes (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). A formative Assessment will be done through a Likert scale survey to determine how much participants agree or disagree with the outcome, objectives, and performance of the project deliverable (Spaulding, 2014). After each training session, a survey will be issued to the participants to obtain their input regarding the training (See Appendix C). Formative feedback and review of the surveys will be discussed during the following training session.
A summative Assessment will be completed three months after the training. An email survey will be sent to those who attended the training to ask for input related to the sustainability of the training program and it efficacy (See Appendix D). This input will be important in determining the need to continue the program and any modifications that should be made in the content for the next training offering.
SECTION 3. APPLICATION
Introduction
Increased drug abuse among students has prompted the creation of effective training curriculums to teachers and school administrators to provide them with the most reliable techniques of mitigating drug abuse among the students. By engaging teachers and administrators with strategic lessons on creating awareness regarding side effects and other health complications of the use of illegal drugs, a remarkable change in students’ behavior is imminent. The purpose of this capstone project is to develop a professional development training program for teachers and school administrators to improve the issues with students using and abusing illegal drugs in school. To accomplish the purpose, teachers and administrators will attend three four-hour facilitated training sessions.
Teachers and administrators will be required to make use of knowledge and skills they obtained during professional development training offered as suggested by the deliverable to minimize illegal drug use among students (Pereira, Paes, & Sanchez, 2016). The process utilized to establish the deliverable was created by following the backward design model theory for curriculum development, relevant literature review and the needs assessment, which indicated that teachers and administrators agreed to participate in the training.
Relevant Outcomes and Findings
The capstone project focused on the need to mitigate the issue regarding students at the study site using and experimenting with a variety of illegal drugs. This was done by providing teachers and school administrators with the necessary skills and knowledge to address the problem. Even though the project deliverable has not been executed as of yet, the research project will generate strategic outcomes to help school administrators and teachers in their day-to-day handling of student affairs. Enumerated below are some of the specific expected improvements from the deliverable.
Short-term outcomes
• Administrators and teachers will gain the sensitivity and capacity to recognize indicators of drug use among students.
• Administrators and teachers will be enriched with knowledge concerning the causation and progression of the drug use culture among the students.
Mid-term outcome
• The administrators and teachers will complement each other in proactively addressing active and potential cases of drug use among students before they escalate beyond control.
Long-term outcomes
• Teachers will develop an individualized approach for handling students identified as using drugs to avoid unprecedented student-teacher conflicts.
• Administrators will develop a sustained framework for addressing the predisposing factors of students to drugs, a proliferation of the drug culture and establish deterrence mechanisms.
Application and Benefits
Target Audience
In the capstone project, the target audience for the professional development training will be (130) teachers and (7) administrators. This target audience interacts with the students on many occasions, and as a result, including them in the process of reducing the incidences of illegal drug use can help improve and reach the project’s desired objectives. This capstone project will benefit the teachers and the administration by providing up-to-date strategies and knowledge on how to overcome the increasing cases of students involved in drug use and will present a positive outcome for the entire school district.
Institution/Setting
Being that the capstone project will be the first ever-professional development training established to control the undesirable behavior of students’ drug use; the benefits of this project will become evident to the organizational setting. The project plan clarifies an excellent improvement in the performance of the school as well as the constituent departments. In addition to that, the project will contribute a lot to the achievement of the organization’s overarching goals, objectives, mission, vision, and enhance school values.
Beyond the Local Setting
The project is expected to produce significant implications beyond the school organization. Teachers and school administrators, having gained the necessary skills, and understanding concerning the drug use, and its impacts, they are expected to apply and confer the experience with their colleagues and school community. The impact will circulate to their various workplaces in the future since the project will produce a long-lasting effect in the lives of students enabling them to spread knowledge and understanding wherever they go. In addition, presenting up-to-date knowledge, skills and strategies required to address the increasing cases of substance abuse will enable external stakeholders and the local government entities to minimize the drug abuse cases and achieve positive outcomes in the community as a whole.
Implications for the Professional Specialization
The professional development training curriculum aligns with the adult education specialization because it uses the concepts of andragogy and adult learning theories. With skills and knowledge, the targeted audience gains during professional development training offered by the capstone project, administrators and teachers will create sustainable frameworks and approaches necessary and suitable in addressing drug abuse-related cases among the students. As a result, this will ensure that both internal and external stakeholders become more competent and better in handling different circumstances by designing series of activities in a sequential manner and acquisition of appropriate resources that will Help in achieving the main objectives of the training.
Recommendations
The study recommends that the tools for learning and managing drug abuse among high school students should be designed to address both the behavioral and health effects of using and abusing drugs. It is because research has shown that drug abuse negatively affects the academic performance of the students (Barna & Barna, 2014). Therefore, focusing on both behavioral and health areas will ensure that the intervention is holistic and beneficial to every aspect of the life of the student.
Also, the study recommends the development of a crisis management strategy that will allow immediate intervention in case a conflict arises between teachers and students who have been identified as drug users. The findings show that the use of drugs among adolescents is complex and persistent (Hanratty, Macdonald, & Livingstone, 2015). Meaning, the curriculum may not lead to tangible and desirable outcomes in health and behavior immediately.
However, there may be conflicts between the students, teachers, and school administrators that may threaten the success of the implementation of the curriculum. The backward design model theory shows that learning is cyclical (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). When the students are offering their recommendations, they may conflict with the ideation by the teachers and school administrators. As such, a crisis management strategy will productively help solve the conflicts hence increasing the likelihood of the success of the program.
Lastly, the study recommends that the school administrators and teachers involve other experts well versed in adolescent health and behavioral issues such as psychologists. The professionals will help in assessing the specific needs of the students using, abusing drugs and instruct on how best the teachers, and school administrators can implement the curriculum given the psychological state of the population. Professionals like psychologists should be involved in the initial stages of planning how to implement the curriculum.
Conclusion
The use and abuse of drugs among high school students in the mid-western suburban community should be addressed using a professional development training curriculum. The study has shown that the strategy is appropriate because it will enable teachers and school administrators to identify the indicators of the use of drugs among students and strengthen the capacity of teachers and school administrators to understand the causes of the problem. In addition, the curriculum will enable teachers to avoid unprecedented conflicts between them and students during individualized intervention for students identified to use drugs.
Additionally, the strategy will allow the development of a framework to understand and deter the use of illegal drugs. The outcomes and results of the proposed curriculum can be evaluated through Kirkpatrick’s Assessment model and Likert Scale Survey. Furthermore, the project study recommends that the curriculum can be implemented more effectively if there is an equal focus on the following: behavioral and health effects of illegal drugs, development of crisis management strategy to solve any conflicts between students and teachers, and involvement of other professionals well versed in adolescent’s issues like psychologists.

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APPENDIX A. CAPELLA UNIVERSITY IRB LETTER

APPENDIX B. STUDY SITE APPROVAL LETTER

APPENDIX C. FORMATIVE Assessment LIKERT SCALE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Assessment CHECKLIST
SCHOOL : _______________________________
COURSE: ________________________________
DATE: ________________________________ Strongly Agree
Agree

Neither Agree nor Disagree
Disagree

Strongly Disagree

CONTENT:
1. Objectives for the training clearly outlined.
2. Training content aligned to the course objectives.
3. I found the training useful and practical.
4. This course advanced my professional capacity.
PROCESS:
5. The training session improved my working skills.
6. The trainer used appropriate training methodology.
7. Appropriate time was allocated to understand
training material.

8. Trainer incorporated your daily work experiences.
CONTEXT:
9. Training presented opportunities for shared activities
(group work, discussions).
10. The training session was relevant to my daily job needs
and met my learning needs.

11. The training session advanced my continuous
improvement cycle.
12. The organization of the training met my learning needs.

GENERAL COMMENTS

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Assessment CHECKLIST

Name: ________________________________

Date________________

Respond to the following questions.

1. What was the utmost useful learning experience in today’s professional development?

OR
2. What were the unexpected learning objectives/factors did you acquire in today’s professional development? Why?

OR
3. In your teaching future, is there anything you will do differently, due to the experience of today’s session. Why?

APPENDIX D. SUMMATIVE Assessment

PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

This Agreement is between the author (Author) and Capella University. Under this Agreement, in consideration for the opportunity to have his/her capstone project published on a Capella website, Author grants Capella certain rights to preserve, archive and publish the Author’s doctoral capstone (the Work), abstract, and index terms.
License for Inclusion in Capella Websites and Publications

Grant of Rights. Author hereby grants to Capella the non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable worldwide right to reproduce, distribute, display and transmit the Work (in whole or in part) in such tangible and electronic formats as may be in existence now or developed in the future. Such forms include, but are not limited to, Capella University websites, where the Work may be made available for free download. Author further grants to Capella the right to include the abstract, bibliography and other metadata in Capella University’s doctoral capstone repository and any successor or related index and/or finding products or services. The rights granted by Author automatically include (1) the right to allow for distribution of the Work, in whole or in part, by agents and distributors, and (2) the right to make the Abstract, bibliographic data and any meta data associated with the Work available to search engines.

Removal of Work from the Program. Capella may elect not to distribute the Work if it believes that all necessary rights of third parties have not been secured. In addition, if Author’s degree is rescinded or found to be in violation of Capella University’s Research Misconduct Policy or other University policies, Capella may expunge the Work from publication. Capella may also elect not to distribute the work in a manner supported by other Capella University policies.

Rights Verification. Author represents and warrants that Author is the copyright holder of the Work and has obtained all necessary rights to permit Capella to reproduce and distribute third party materials contained in any part of the Work, including all necessary licenses for any non-public, third party software necessary to access, display, and run or print the Work. Author is solely responsible and will indemnify and defend Capella for any third party claims related to the Work as submitted for publication, including but not limited to claims alleging the Work violates a third party’s intellectual property rights.

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL WORK

Capella University’s Academic Honesty Policy (3.01.01) holds learners accountable for the integrity of work they submit, which includes but is not limited to discussion postings, assignments, comprehensive exams, and the dissertation or capstone project.
Established in the Policy are the expectations for original work, rationale for the policy, definition of terms that pertain to academic honesty and original work, and disciplinary consequences of academic dishonesty. Also stated in the Policy is the expectation that learners will follow APA rules for citing another person’s ideas or works.
The following standards for original work and definition of plagiarism are discussed in the Policy:
Learners are expected to be the sole authors of their work and to acknowledge the authorship of others’ work through proper citation and reference. Use of another person’s ideas, including another learner’s, without proper reference or citation constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty and is prohibited conduct. (p. 1)
Plagiarism is one example of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas or work as your own. Plagiarism also includes copying verbatim or rephrasing ideas without properly acknowledging the source by author, date, and publication medium. (p. 2)
Capella University’s Research Misconduct Policy (3.03.06) holds learners accountable for research integrity. What constitutes research misconduct is discussed in the Policy:
Research misconduct includes but is not limited to falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, misappropriation, or other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the academic community for proposing, conducting, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. (p. 1)
Learners failing to abide by these policies are subject to consequences, including but not limited to dismissal or revocation of the degree.

Acknowledgments:
I have read, understand and agree to this Capella Publishing Agreement, including all rights and restrictions included within the publishing option chosen by me as indicated above.
I have read, understood, and abided by Capella University’s Academic Honesty Policy (3.01.01) and Research Misconduct Policy (3.03.06), including Policy Statements, Rationale, and Definitions.
I attest that this dissertation or capstone project is my own work. Where I have used the ideas or words of others, I have paraphrased, summarized, or used direct quotes following the guidelines set forth in the APA Publication Manual.

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