Using Realist Synthesis to Develop an Evidence Base from an Identified Data Set on Enablers and Barriers for Alcohol and Drug Program Implementation

The purpose of this paper is to show how “realist synthesis” methodology (Pawson, 2002) was adapted to review a large sample of community based projects addressing alcohol and drug use problems. Our study drew on a highly varied sample of 127 projects receiving funding from a national non-government organisation in Australia between 2002 and 2008. Open and pattern coding led to the identification of 10 barrier and nine enabler mechanisms influencing project implementation across the sample. Eight case studies (four demonstrating successful implementation; four demonstrating less than successful implementation) were used for depth exploration of these mechanisms. High level theories were developed, from these findings, on implementation effectiveness in projects addressing alcohol and other drug use problems.

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Successful Implementation of Technology to Teach Science

Educational Technology, Teacher Knowledge, and Classroom Impact ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-750-0.ch012 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 271-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David A. Slykhuis ◽

Rebecca McNall Krall

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Research Trend ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Science Content ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Data Set ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Resultant Data ◽

High Level ◽

Science Education Journals

In this review of recent literature on the use of technology to teach science content, 143 articles from 8 science education journals were selected and analyzed for the use of technologies in teaching science, pedagogies employed, and successes of the implementations. The resultant data provides a snapshot on how technology is being used in the teaching and learning of science, and the research methods used to explore these issues. Levels of research and levels of success were developed and applied to the article data set to characterize the types of research and technology implementations described in the literature. Articles that showed high levels of successful implementation of technology along with a high level of research were explored and explained in greater detail. The review underscores the research trend toward using technology to illustrate abstract concepts and make objects that are invisible to the naked eye, visible and malleable in computer modeling programs. Implications for successful use of technology to teach science are discussed.

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OCCUPATION, JOB CHARACTERISTICS, AND THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2003.31.4.395 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 395-412 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Zhiwei Zhang ◽

William E. Snizek

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Household Survey ◽

Organizational Stress ◽

Full Time ◽

Data Set ◽

Alcohol And Drug Use ◽

Department Of Labor ◽

Negative Effect ◽

National Household Survey ◽

Alcohol And Other Drugs

This study uses detailed information from the Department of Labor (O'NET 98) concerning the characteristics and content of 1,122 occupations, and combines these data with information on alcohol and drug use collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in their 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Using a merged data set, based on 7,477 full-time workers, weighted logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between eight occupational and job dimensions and workers' current and prior use of alcohol and drugs. Results show that steady employment or job security has the most pronounced negative effect on alcohol and drug use, while characteristics such as the pace of activity, job independence, and skills utilization to include feelings of accomplishment have little or no effect on employees' alcohol and drug use. Furthermore, the etiology of cocaine use appears quite different from that of alcohol and other types of drug use: all else being equal, employees' odds of using cocaine, when working in an occupation with greater job variety, decrease by 64 percent. However, employees in occupations with greater job autonomy are about 4 times more likely to use cocaine than are employees in jobs with less autonomy. These findings suggest that occupational conditions have a discernible influence on alcohol and drug use among employees, albeit in more complex ways than those suggested by much of the organizational stress and occupational subcultural literature.

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Missing Data Techniques and the Statistical Conclusion Validity of Survey-Based Alcohol and Drug Use Research Studies: A Review and Comment on Reproducibility

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/0022042618795878 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 44-56

Author(s):

Timothy J. Grigsby ◽

Justin McLawhorn

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Missing Data ◽

Drug Use ◽

Complete Case ◽

Data Set ◽

Missing Data Analysis ◽

Alcohol And Drug Use ◽

Statistical Conclusion ◽

Missing Data Techniques ◽

Research Studies

The goal of the present review was to examine whether or not the use of modern missing data techniques impacts the statistical conclusion validity of research on alcohol and drug use outcomes in survey-based research studies. We identified 28 papers and received complete case data from the authors of 12 studies. Seven studies (25%) reported the missing data pattern (missing not at random [MNAR], missing at random [MAR], missing completely at random [MCAR]), 15 studies (53.6%) indicated the amount of missing observations in the data set, and a significant proportion of studies ( n = 13, 46.4%) did not report any of the conditions or assumptions under which the missing data analysis was performed or implemented. Six of the 12 (50%) studies analyzed reported a different number of statistically significant associations between the complete case and full sample analyses. Efforts should be made to make missing data analysis more accessible, easy to implement and report to improve transparency and reproducibility of findings.

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