Exploring Teachers' Perspectives on Utilizing Local Resources to Address Substance Abuse within Schools

Authors

The purpose of this study was to identify the conceptual foundations that

underlie school teachers' preferences for the utilization of personal resources

to address the problem of substance abuse at the school level. Also, it was

examined whether there is a relationship between the school teachers’

perceived approaches with their gender, school type, and socioeconomic

status. The participants in the study consisted of school teachers working in

secondary schools located in four densely populated districts of Karachi,

Pakistan. The research was conducted using a mixed-method methodology.

Data were collected by using semi-structured interviews through personal

visits. A qualitative analysis method was used to find out the perceptions of

school teachers regarding their preferred approach to deal the issue of drug

abuse. In addition, a quantitative analysis was performed to ascertain the

relationship, if any, between participants' demographics and their preferred

approach. The results show that the school teachers selected effective

strategies to address this issue at the school level within their means,

including emotional competence, psychological competence, religion, and

monitoring.