XC4005 Assignment Evaluation of Practice Change

Slide 1

• Protecting Youth Health: A Plan to Prevent Teen Vaping

Hello everyone, I would like to do my capstone project today. My project is a problem-solving and change plan to reduce the problem of vaping among teens.

Slide 2

• Example Problem

My identified practice problem is the high prevalence of vaping among teens. The long-term effects of vaping are well recognised and have become a priority for schools and healthcare to prevent the negative health consequences of using vapes among young people (Liu et al., 2022). It’s not just a problem of physical health; there are social and behavioural issues that need to be addressed in schools and communities now.

Slide 3

• Change Theory by Lewin

In planning my actions, I used the Change Theory by Kurt Lewin. The Change Theory has three steps: Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze. Awareness would be created during the unfreeze phase, and it would be achieved by educating the students, parents, and school staff about the dangers of vaping. In the change phase, systematic programs like peer mentoring, interactive learning, and frequent reviews of policies were implemented. The refreeze step is utilised at the end to help ensure these efforts are successful long-term by embedding anti-vaping messages into the school community and providing ongoing support. The breakdown of complex changes into phases makes Lewin’s model applicable to health and educational projects. The project would take one academic year, with the first three months being spent on unfreezing, the next six months on change, and the last three months on reinforcing and evaluating the change.

Slide 4

• Leadership Strategy

Leadership was a key component of the implementation of the change plan. Using principles of transformational leadership, I encouraged students, parents, and staff members to buy into the concept of a healthier and vape-free school environment, to encourage others to join in (Wilson Heenan et al., 2023). In turn, my strengths in communication and collaboration allowed me to engage the stakeholders, promote dialogue, and establish partnerships with local health organisations. The change plan was driven through vision and pragmatic approaches from leadership.

Slide 5

• Implementation of the pedagogical component

My change plan had many levels to the education part of it. Students engaged in interactive learning about the dangers of vaping and saw real-life examples and a visual presentation on the health effects of vaping. Parents attended workshops to learn how to talk with their teens about vaping, and teachers received materials to incorporate prevention messages into daily activities. They work better when the student, family, and teacher are brought together in education programs rather than separate programs (Kelty & Wakabayashi, 2020). The teens would be educated through the holistic approach to education, but also supported by adults who would be able to reinforce the healthy behaviours.

Slide 6

• Self-assessment of Delivery

I think the best thing I did with the educational part of the presentation was to try and make it interesting and relatable. The students’ attention was held by simple language, age-appropriate and engaging interactive questions, and visual aids. One area for improvement is the use of time in the workshops, as there was more time spent on discussion than expected. What has happened to me is that I have learned that you need a balance between having interaction and having structure.

Slide 7

• Re-freeze, Sustainability and Evaluation

If we are to be successful in the long run, we need sustainability and evaluation. School curriculum would include anti-vaping education with school activities and policies for sustaining the change. The evaluation would include surveys of students to find out if there was a change in knowledge and attitude, school disciplinary reports, and feedback from parents and teachers. This method would generate numeric and narrative data for future reference.

Slide 8

• Conclusion

In conclusion, this project was a response to the urgent problem of teen vaping through the lens of the change theory developed by Lewin, leadership practices, and an overall educational approach. The change plan emphasised long-term reinforcement for the healthier behaviours to be maintained in the school and community and active intervention for awareness. Education, collaboration, and sustained cultural support are the three most important factors for sustainable change in the health of adolescents. A school, school family, educator, and community partnership to curb vaping and protect the health of future generations.