Decisions for Teens is one of a suite of DECISIONS programs that Vita offers.
Decisions for Teens (DFT) is a cognitively-based curriculum that teaches a process for making sound choices in real life situations. The process is taught using relevant stories and personal situations that teens face on a daily basis. The choices teens make regarding school, family relationships, peer relationships, use of alcohol and drugs,
and sex can often have life altering results.
Recent studies have shown that the “executive functioning” of the adolescent brain is not yet fully developed. Teens’ reactions to situations can be impulsive, rather than well thought through. Decisions for Teens is designed to help adolescents become more aware of their “internal” thinking and feeling processes and to use this awareness in problem solving. Through the process, teens learn that they do have control over their situations and can assume responsibility for their actions.
The course is appropriate for 7th through 12th graders. The course takes twelve to sixteen hours depending on the number of participants. It can be delivered in time frames of forty-five minutes to two hours.
The five program points in the DFT model are:
- What is the situation? Teens begin to distinguish external facts in a situation from internal thoughts and feelings. They also begin to assess responses to the existing situations and learn how attitudes, images and thinking patterns contribute to their responses.
- What do I want?Teens learn to identify what they want out of a situation and to reframe problems into long term goals.
- How can I get what I want? Teens learn to expand possible ways of reaching their goal. Expansion of possibilities covers thinking and attitude as well as actions.
- What will I choose? Teens weigh the positives and negatives of the selected possibilities; explore how the possibilities fit with their personal goals and values; and consider the risks involved in the decision, for themselves and others.
- What is my plan? Teens learn to make action plans to follow through on their decisions, anticipating which attitudes and actions will lead to their success.
The Foundations of Decisions for Teens
Increasingly, research has shown that learning is influenced by a variety of social and emotional factors. Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes and values necessary to understand and manage life tasks such as cognitive learning, forming relationships, and adapting to today’s complex society. Decisions for Teens encourages the development of social, emotional and cognitive competencies through a five step process. This process, in turn, facilitates academic achievement in developing reading and writing skills.
Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? , a publication of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), points out that “There is a growing body of scientifically based research supporting the strong impact that enhanced social and emotional behaviors can have on success in school and ultimately life.” CASEL was founded in 1994 with the mission to establish research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) as an essential part of education from preschool through high school. This consortium has spent 10 years developing a body of research that supports the idea that social and emotional variables are integral to learning.
There is substantial research to show the benefits of decision making programs.Research has demonstrated that youth development programs are successful in promoting positive behavior and preventing problem behavior when these programs help young people learn decision-making; problem solving; social and self-regulation skills; and refusal, resistance, and coping strategies (Fischhoff et al., 1999).
Programs that incorporate decision-making skills building have been found to delay the onset of sexual activity, reduce the frequency of sexual activity, and increase safer-sex behaviors (Jemmott III, Jemmott, & Fong, 1998; St. Lawrence et al., 1995). Adolescents who have sound decision making skills are better able to refuse alcohol and other drugs (Epstein, Griffin, & Botvin, 2000).
Decisions for Teens is a participatory model of education.Don Tapscott, in his book Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, argues that today’s generation of learners is not satisfied in being the passive recipients of the traditional teaching process, rather, they want to discover it for themselves by becoming interactive with the learning.
Decisions for Teens acknowledges the importance of emotional intelligence.Social and emotional learning is the term most often used by educators when referring to emotional intelligence, because these skills can be learned. Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence, summarizes the emotional and social abilities that have been found to be important in predicting success in life. Dr. Goleman reviews a wide range of research and organizes predictive skills into five main domains that include: self awareness, managing emotions, self-motivation, emotional sensitivity, social skills.
Decisions for Teens recognizes the importance and uniqueness of each individual and builds on his/her experiences.According to the educational psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, cognitive development is directly related to social development. He believed that the job of educators is to find out where the child is situated in the “zone of proximal development” and build upon his/her specific level through a “scaffolding” process. Building from what the learner knows is anchoring the learning on past experience.
Evaluation of Decisions for Teens
Decisions for Teenswas evaluated in 1997-1998 by Edward Snyder of Lehigh University. Students in this program were those enrolled in a alternative in-school suspension program at Truman High School in Bristol Township during the hours of 3 PM to 6 PM. Six qualitative measures related to consumer and stakeholder perceptions and four quantitative measures assessed student attendance, knowledge of and confidence in student decision making abilities, and the demographic background of students. Pre and post training surveys by participants were a 14 item, 10 point Likert-type ratings ranging from 1 (not true) to 10 (true). The results of these surveys showed an 18 point increase in the average score from pre to post training assessment and an increase in 17.5 points for the median scores. The conclusion reached was that students were more confident and knowledgeable about their decision making skills following training.
