Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02832856

Testing the Effectiveness of the Full and Abridged Relationship Smarts Curriculum for 9th Grade Students

This evaluation will test the program effectiveness of a relationship education program (Relationship Smarts PLUS)and an abridged version of the program to 9th Grade Students on outcomes of knowledge. It will test 1) whether the Relationship Smarts (RS) Curriculum is more effective than a control curriculum of job-readiness programming, and 2) whether an abridged 8-lesson version of the RS Curriculum can be as effective as the full 12-lesson version.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Attitudes Behavior Knowledge

Age range

11 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

More Than Conquerors, Inc.

Conyers, Georgia, 30094, United States

About this study

MTCI plans to deliver the Relationship Smarts PLUS (RS+) education curriculum to youth in high schools during the regular school day. RS+ is a widely-implemented healthy relationship education curriculum that aligns with the Georgia Department of Education performance standards in health education. The curriculum features 12 lessons covering such topics as healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, communication skills, conflict management, and decision making. MORE THAN CONQUERORS, INC. (MTCI) plans to deliver the curriculum to 9th grade students as part of a required, semester-long health class. The program will be delivered by trained facilitators from MTCI in coordination with each participating school.

To be eligible to participate, students must be enrolled in one of the targeted health classes and have permission from a parent or guardian to participate in both the MATURE Plus II program and the STREAMS evaluation.The study plans to enroll 1,840 students over the entire two-year evaluation period.

At the start of each semester, the targeted sections of 9th grade health class will be randomly assigned into one of three research groups: (1) a group that receives the full, 12-lesson RS+ curriculum, (2) a group that receives a "summary" 8-lesson version of the RS+ curriculum and four lessons on career planning and job readiness, or (3) a control group that receives lessons on career planning and job readiness without any lessons from the RS+ curriculum.

All students for whom consent and assent have been obtained will be asked to complete three surveys: (1) a baseline survey administered in health class near the start of the semester, (2) a post-program survey administered in health class near the end of the semester, and (3) a one-year follow-up survey administered about 12 months after the baseline survey, during 10th grade

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • high school students in 9th grade health classes
  • must be enrolled in one of the targeted health classes
  • permission from a parent or guardian to participate in both the program and the evaluation

Exclusion criteria

  • non-students
  • students in other grades of high school
  • students not enrolled in health class
  • students without parental permission to participate

Treatment and study plan

Healthy Relationship Education

Behavioral

RS+ is a widely-implemented healthy relationship education curriculum that aligns with the Georgia Department of Education performance standards in health education. The full curriculum features 12 lessons covering such topics as healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, communication skills, conflict management, and decision making.

Job Readiness Curriculum

Behavioral

Beginning to Work it Out (BWIO) assists youth who are preparing for first-time employment. Topics include recognizing how personal beliefs and behaviors may be perceived in the workplace, as well as "soft skills" such as emotional self-management and problem-solving skills.

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived general relationship skills

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    Six-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  2. Perceived conflict management skills

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    Five-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  3. Disapproval of teen dating violence

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    Twelve-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  4. Constraining beliefs about marriage

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    Series of three separate continuous variables (range: 1 to 4)

  5. Knowledge of pregnancy and STIs

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    Continuous index variable: sum of correct responses to five true/false statements

  6. Desire to avoid teen pregnancy

    Time frame: one year after random assignment

    series of three separate continuous variables (range: 1 to 4)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Other

Collaborators

  • Department of Health and Human Services

Registry information

Official study title

Testing the Effectiveness of the Full and Abridged Versions of the Relationship Smarts Curriculum for 9th Grade Students

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2021
First posted
Jul 14, 2016
Registry last updated
Apr 22, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.