Evaluation Study of the Online High School Media Aware Program

Web-based High School Media Literacy for Healthy Relationships

The main aim of this study is to conduct a pretest-posttest RCT with a three-month follow-up to investigate the sustainability of outcomes in students who use the Media Aware program. Media Aware, a web-based media literacy education program for high school students to promote sexual and relationship health. Media Aware is designed to provide high school students with sexual health knowledge, media literacy skills, and the skills to make healthy decisions about sexual activity. This study will examine if behavioral indicators among students in the intervention group sustain, emerge, or diminish over time compared to students in the delayed intervention group.

SCHOOL SITES:

Inclusion:

1. Schools must have students in 9th or 10th grade health education as this program is designed for use in these grades during health education classes.
2. Schools must agree to provide the Media Aware program during class periods as their sexual health education which means that an educator will facilitate the students taking the program.
3. Schools must have adequate technology for the students to use the web-based Media Aware program and complete the online questionnaires.
4. It must be feasible for iRT project staff members to travel to the school sites for the three data collection time points.

TEACHER PARTICIPANTS:

Inclusion:

1. Teacher's classrooms must have students in 9th or 10th grade as this program is designed for use in these grades.
2. Teachers must be able to ensure that participating students have computers and internet access during class periods as the program and questionnaires are web-based.

STUDENT PARTICIPANTS:

Inclusion:

1. Students must be in grades 9 or 10.
2. Students must be able to speak and read English because the study materials (e.g., questionnaires) are in English. However, parent permission and youth assent forms for the research study will be available in both English and Spanish.
3. Students must have appropriate parent permission to receive sexual health education per school districts' policy (i.e., opt-in policy or opt-out policy).