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Knowledge Base The Heritage MethodSM process model development, training, monitoring systems and evaluations are based upon a sound theoretical and methodological foundation. The Medical Institute for Sexual Health report “Building Healthy Futures” presents a useful summary of existing research on the effectiveness of abstinence education, including the theory and methodology identified as important to the success of interventions. Predictors of Sexual Behavior: The findings of leading abstinence education researcher, Stan Weed, Ph.D., of the Institute for Research and Development, provides an outline of attitudes and beliefs that predict behavioral intention regarding sexual activity, which are the strongest predictors of actual sexual behavior. These predictors have been established over a decade of research in America, Russia and Mexico, with diverse populations across age, gender, and race in urban, suburban and rural settings. The identified predictors provide the theoretical foundation for the development of, training in, and monitoring and evaluation of the Heritage KeepersTM Abstinence Education and Life Skills Education curricula. Levels of Intervention: Dr. Weed has identified Levels of Intervention that describe thresholds students much reach to predict abstinent behavior. Someone who is at the bottom of the levels of intervention has a deep understanding of what they believe in, and someone at the top of the levels of intervention has more superficial beliefs. These levels of intervention are not necessarily sequential, i.e., someone can already value abstinence without ever being through the awareness process. The levels are awareness, knowledge, understanding, attitude, belief, value, personal efficacy, and commitment. It is Dr. Weed’s assertion that the deeper the level of intervention, the more likely the program is to empower participants to practice the desired behavior. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change: Developed by Dr. James Prochaska of the URI Cancer Prevention Research Center, this model is built around an understanding that individuals making a behavior change progress over time through a series of stages (Prochaska, DiClemente, Norcross, 1992). This in contrast with the standard approach which views change as an action or event rather than a process. The stages identified by Dr. Prochaska are Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. While the The Heritage MethodSM is a school- and community-based (rather than a clinical) approach, the development of the approach has been influenced primarily in recognition that behavior change is characterized by phases. The Heritage MethodSM recognizes these identified phases and addresses them by providing a core curricula developed to promote contemplation and planning, skills-building to enable the desired behavior, and life skills and community components to support maintenance of the desired behavior. Researchers have traditionally used two categories to define the adolescents in their samples: sexually active and not sexually active. Recently, Miller and her colleagues (1997) have proposed a more complex typology using five categories for identifying level of sexual activity, from Delayers who have never had penile-vaginal intercourse to Multiples who report more than one sexual partner (Miller, Clark, Wendell, Levin, Gray-Ray, Velez & Webber, 1997). This model has influenced program development, training, monitoring and evaluation, in recognition of the need to address the various degrees of sexual activity that may be represented in the target audience. Social learning is learning that takes place in a social context, largely through the process of modeling. Albert Bandura suggests that learning takes place on the basis of observation, imitation and repetition (Sprinthall, Sprinthall & Oja, 1998). Because much of that learning takes place as a result of cultural stimuli, including the influence of parents, teachers, health experts, peers, media and institutions in the community at large, Heritage has developed program components addressing these influences. Since students learn primarily from what is modeled in their environment, teachers who implement the program under the direct supervision of Heritage Community Services are required to sign a statement that they are practicing the behavior being taught by the program. If single, they attest that they are abstaining from sexual activity. If married, they attest that they are sexually faithful to their marriage commitment. Dr. Weed’s evaluations indicate that Best Practice would strongly indicate that teachers implementing the program both believe that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is a best, reasonable and possible. Integrity and credibility require that they practice what the program is teaching. Videos are used to provides models of the desired behavior, as well. Emotional intelligence is defined by Goleman (1995) as abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustration, control impulses, delay gratification, regulate moods, keep distress from overwhelming us, empathize with others and have hope. These skills are related to success later in life and can be learned and improved upon by adolescents if they are taught. The Heritage program introduces and reinforces these skills in relation to the practice of abstaining from sex outside of marriage and other risky behaviors. In the publication No Easy Answer: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, by Douglas Kirby, Ph.D.(1997), program factors that predict success are identified. The Heritage Method addresses all factors.
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