Effectiveness of Child-to-Child Approach in Imparting Knowledge regarding Road Traffic Safety among Scholars in Selected Schools of Goa

Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of injuries and death among children resulting from violation of road safety rules and regulations by the road users. Creating awareness regarding road traffic safety among school-going children can be a preventive strategy in reducing the incidence of accidents in schoolers. An experimental research design was used to assess the effectiveness of child-to-child approach in imparting knowledge regarding road traffic safety among schoolers in selected schools of Goa. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 262 schoolers studying in standard eight as sample for the study. Three tools: demographic pro forma, structured questionnaire on road traffic safety and structured questionnaire on road signs were developed, tested for content validity, reliability and used in the study. The students were divided into two groups and a factorial method was used to assess the effectiveness of the two teaching methods (lecture v/s child-to-child approach). Findings reveal that child-to-child approach (?t? value for Tool II=16.042 and Tool III=15.528 at Pless than 0.01) was more effective in improving the knowledge of schoolers as compared to the lecture method (?t? value for Tool II=12.803 and Tool III=13.982 at Pless than 0.01). Special and continuous health education for school children using innovative methods of teaching (child-to-child programme) in their formative year could improve their knowledge and develop a positive attitude towards road traffic safety. Thus, eventually leading to reduction of road traffic accidents.