Rules and resources of violence prevention programs

In recent years, violence prevention programs have surfaced as supposed solutions to the growing prevalence of violence within schools. A vast majority of research done on these programs has been quantitative and seeks to prove the effectiveness of the programs. This study focuses on the content of the programs by examining the program materials of three highly rated school violence prevention programs: 1) Life Skills Training, 2) Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, and 3) Project Towards No Drug Abuse. Through the programs' materials, creators' assumptions about causes of violence and potential rules and resources provided by these programs have been identified. By looking at these programs through the lens of structuration theory, it has become clear that the rules and resources offered by these programs fail to address both the agent and the environment. Suggestions for violence prevention within schools have been made, largely centered on a modified cohort system.