A Multi-Facet Mapping of Reasons for Teachers' Reluctance to Conduct Prevention Programs

Introduction:

Teachers' collaboration in prevention programs' composition and especially implementation is crucial for the program success. However, seldom teachers might be reluctant to collaborate in prevention efforts, preferring that "somebody else will do it".

Methods:

Five studies were conducted, in order to explore the antecedents of Israeli teachers' reluctance to collaborate with prevention programs administration in their classes. Study 1 (N=278) checked teachers' attitudes toward administration of prevention programs in their school (N=81), while comparing it to the attitudes of both students' (N=77) and parents' (N=80) of their schools. Study 2 (N=343) compared between the attitudes of teachers who work in regular public schools vs. teachers who work in semi-private democratic/humanistic schools. Study 3 (N=138) investigated the professional training the teachers had and its connectedness to readiness to be involved in prevention programs administration. Study 4 (N=141) focused on exploration of the teacher's personal background and life events and its correlates to attitudes toward the importance and toward readiness to be involved in prevention program administration. Finally, Study 5 (N=120) checked the relationships between teacher's personal work adjustment and readiness to be involved in prevention program administration.

Results:

The studies' findings indicate that Israeli teachers' reluctance to cooperate with prevention programs administration emerge from a combination of personal' professional and organizational reasons. Namely, the general attitudes toward prevention program are positive, especially among those who've been exposed to risk behaviors and stressful life events. However, many teachers feel incompetent to take part in prevention efforts as their professional training in the past was biased mostly toward frontal teaching, and their current organizational situation is biased toward academic achievements only.

Conclusions :

A comprehensive model of antecedents to teachers' positive involvement in prevention program administration will be presented, and its implications for teachers' professional training and organizational entry will be discussed.