Methodological Considerations in the Content Analysis of Drug Prevention Program Activities from the 1990-93 Institution-Wide Cohorts

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Methodological Considerations in the Content

Analysis of Drug Prevention Program Activities

from the 1990-93 Institution-Wide Cohorts

Andris Ziemelis, Ed.D.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

The purpose of this paper is to briefly describe some prominent aspects of

the methodology employed by the La Crosse Drug Prevention Program

Analysis Project in its analysis of drug prevention program activities from

the 1990-93 Institution-Wide Cohorts.

Theme Development and Implementation

Seventeen drug prevention activity themes, and 84 corresponding theme

elements, were developed from inductive analyses of Institution-Wide

Drug Prevention Program Final Reports. Themes were used to content

analyze all activities reported by four cohorts of FIPSE-sponsored

Institution-Wide Drug Prevention Programs (n = 321 programs). Theme

elements were used to content analyze program activities from only the

last two cohorts (n = 147 programs). Themes and theme elements were

then statistically analyzed in relation to one another and in relation to

Institution-Wide Program outcomes reported by program personnel

approximately one and one-half years after expiration of FIPSE grant

support.

Content Analysis

Three content analysts were trained to use the above drug prevention

activity themes and theme elements in their analysis of Institution-Wide

Drug Prevention Program activities described in Final Reports. Analysts

practiced using the themes and theme elements until they reached

acceptable agreement in their classifications of activities. Analysts then

independently classified all reported activities.

Statistical Database

Various statistical databases were created using data compiled by the

content analysts.

Theme and Theme Element Frequencies

These databases show frequency of prevention activity themes and theme

elements occurring within programs. Activity frequencies were generated

by the three content analysts who systematically and independently

reviewed each Final Report submitted to FIPSE.

Theme and Theme Element Frequency Z Scores
Methodological Considerations in the Content Analysis of Drug Prevention Program Activities from the 1990-93 Institution-Wide Cohorts

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Theme and theme element frequencies from the above databases were

transformed to Z scores. These data permit standardized comparisons of

prevention activity emphases among programs. At a glance, they show

which programs emphasized particular themes and theme elements the

most in an absolute sense. For example, a Z score of 2.00 on the Student

Involvement/Empowerment theme would place a program above the 97th

percentile relative to all other programs in terms if its frequency of

activities that emphasized student involvement/empowerment.

Theme and Theme Element Proportions

Theme and theme element frequencies were converted to proportions for

each program. These standardized data show relative prevention theme

emphases within programs independent of the total number of activities

reported by those programs. Therefore, it is possible that a program

reporting 100 activities can have the same proportional program

emphases as a program reporting 600 activities.

Theme and Theme Element Proportion Z Scores

Proportions from the above data bases were transformed to Z scores.

These data show how a program's proportional emphasis on a particular

theme or theme element compares with proportional emphasis on the

same theme or theme element in other programs. Again, these data

enable among-program standardized comparisons that are independent of

the total number of activities reported by programs.

Relational Databases

A number of relational databases were also developed and maintained by

our project to assist in the analysis drug prevention programs.

Executive Summaries

Executive Summaries from the 1988-93 Cohorts were entered into a

relational database. Sentences, phrases, or combinations of keywords

may be used to search this database. This database is particularly useful

for quick searches designed to locate programs that fulfill search criteria.

For example, by using the key words "curriculum infusion," the database

will identify programs that mentioned curriculum infusion in their Executive

Summaries. Also, all records matching search parameters may be printed.

Executive Summary Sentence Database

The content of this database is the same as that of the Executive

Summary Database except that sentences in context may be searched for

and retrieved. This eliminates the need to read the entire Executive

Summary to locate a keyword or phrase. Also, this database can provide

an accurate count of keyword frequency, particularly when the same

keyword appears repeatedly in the same Executive Summary. Again,

records matching search parameters may be printed. This database

contains general program information from Cohorts 1988 through 1993.

Standardized Activity Database

Three content analysts studied the 1990 through 1993 Cohort Final

Reports and identified each prevention activity reported by each program.

Entries into this database contain fields for School, Actor, Activity, Target,

Purpose, Outcome, and Comment. Transforming activities into such a

format provides a more precise and efficient method for activity

management than can be accomplished by less structured review of Final

Reports. Placing activities into such a standard format also makes them

more amenable to quantification and statistical analysis. This database
Methodological Considerations in the Content Analysis of Drug Prevention Program Activities from the 1990-93 Institution-Wide Cohorts

file:///C|/Users/mames/Desktop/test/lps110655/method.html[9/23/2014 11:16:08 AM]

provides more comprehensive and detailed information about programs

than the databases described in the two previous sections. For example,

as part of their analysis of the 1990-93 Cohorts, our content analysts

collectively described 118,225 program activities using the above format.

1990 through 1993 Cohort Follow-up Database

Approximately one and one-half years after expiration of FIPSE

sponsorship, the 1990 through 1993 Institution-Wide Programs were

queried about their program status, program scope, program emphasis,

changes in emphasis, program institutionalization status, and program

effectiveness in preventing alcohol and other drug use/abuse by students.

Information obtained from the follow-up was correlated with the theme

and theme element data described earlier. These analyses provided initial

insights about quantitative and qualitative program characteristics that

accounted for variance in program outcomes.

Copyright © 1998 by Andris Ziemelis

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