THE EVALUATION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA K-9 TRAFFIC SAFETY CURRICULUM

The Research Triangle Institute developed a pilot traffic safety curriculum for use in kindergarten through the ninth grades. Through workshops, teachers were involved in the curriculum development from the beginning. The curriculum was implemented in fourteen public schools in the state, and was taught by both workshop and nonworkshop participants. The Highway Safety Research Center conducted the evaluation of the traffic safety curriculum in three phases. First, the amount of knowledge that students acquired was measured by tests administered before and after the curriculum was taught. Second, the extent to which the children modified their pedestrian and bicyclist behavior was examined. Third, a questionnaire was mailed to each teacher who used the curriculum in order to determine how useful the materials were, how much they were actually used, which parts were not used and why, and what changes should be made. In summary, a K-9 traffic safety curriculum was developed and pilot tested in four school districts. The evaluation showed that the curriculum was generally well accepted and used by the teachers. Furthermore, at the elementary school level, the curriculum resulted in a significant increase in students' traffic safety knowledge. However, the behavioral observations failed to reflect this increased knowledge.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Research was supported by the State of North Carolina in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT, under contract with the Research Triangle Institute.
  • Corporate Authors:

    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Highway Safety Research Center
    Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599
  • Authors:
    • Padgett, S S
    • Waller, P F
  • Publication Date: 1975-6

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 73 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00141678
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Dec 22 1976 12:00AM