Dating violence education: What do student learn?

The purpose of this study is to understand how a social change approach to dating violence education affects the ways in which students think about physical abuse in dating relationships. The program was designed to simulate a typical two-hour workshop format, using small group discussion and short lecture. a total of 331 participants, recruited from introductory psychology classes, attended one of 22 small group sessions; 14 received the Program condition (n=219), 8 the Comparison condition (n=119). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The results revealed significant differences between the Program and Comparison groups which remained stable over a three-week period, as well as specific gender differences. Women were more likely to view violence in relationships from a structural perspective, were more knowledgeable about dating violence and responding to survivors, and were less likely to blame the victim. In addition, discriminant analyses showed that attitudes towards survivors and response towards survivors emerged as the most important content separating Program and Comparison group males, while attitudes toward survivors, a structural explanation for dating violence, and general knowledge about dating violence were the best discriminators for females. Finally, implications for educating students about physical abuse in dating relationships were examined, including the need to address power and control issues.