No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Are trainee teachers being adequately prepared to promote the health and well-being of school children? A survey of current practice
Abstract
Teachers are a key part of the wider public health workforce in England. We conducted a survey to find out how they are trained for this role during their initial teacher education (ITE).
Between 2011 and 2012, we sent an online questionnaire to 220 ITE course managers and conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 19 course managers to explore issues in more depth.
The response rate to the questionnaire was 34% (n = 74). Although most of the course managers felt inclusion of health and well-being training in ITE was important, provision across courses was variable. Topics which are public health priorities [e.g. sex and relationships education (SRE) and drugs, alcohol and tobacco] were covered by fewer courses than other topics (e.g. child protection, emotional health and anti-bullying). Perceived barriers to training included lack of time and a belief that health and well-being were low priorities in educational policy.
Not all of tomorrow's teachers are being adequately prepared for their role in helping to address public health priorities. Educational policy does not appear to be supporting the priorities of public health policy, and this is a key barrier to health promotion training in ITE.Keywords children, educational settings, health promotion.
... Despite evidence that many jurisdictions are guided by sound CSE policy, that CSE concepts are included in school curricula and that some teacher training in CSE does occur, there prevails a common theme of deficient teacher preparedness for CSE (Dewhirst et al. 2014;Byrne et al. 2015;Szalacha 2004;Clark 2010;Jennings and Sherwin 2008;Robinson and Ferfolja 2008;Bartholomaeus, Riggs, and Andrew 2017;Carman et al. 2011;Pound et al. 2017;Mayberry 2014). Teachers state more support in pre-service training is necessary to attain confidence and self-efficacy when addressing content such as sexual diversity (Mayberry 2014;Matthews 2006), birth control (Mayberry 2014;Matthews 2006) and sex and relationships (Mayberry 2014;Matthews 2006;Byrne et al. 2015). ...
... Participants were most commonly pre-service primary and secondary teachers followed by teacher training organisation staff. Sample sizes were not stated in several studies, otherwise varied widely from six (van Laren 2011) to over 300 participants (Dewhirst et al. 2014;Fahlman, Hall, and Gutuskey 2013). Some studies specified the delivery mode as being core or elective, whilst 41% (n = 9) of articles did not provide this information. ...
... Pre-service teachers are rising to the challenge of the issues associated with the delivery of CSE. Student evaluations of a 'health day initiative' for pre-service teachers in England disclosed an enhanced level of motivation to understand the complexity of health and well-being in school health education (Dewhirst et al. 2014). Concepts of well-being were explored in an Australian trial designed to change pre-service teacher's health behaviours and prepare them to teach school students to overcome various health challenges. ...
This study explored the extent to which organisations responsible for initial teacher training, prepare pre-service teachers to deliver comprehensive sexuality education in schools. Five electronic databases were searched to identify publications that reported the provision of CSE training for pre-service teachers. Methodological quality was appraised using The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses. Descriptive analyses were conducted to summarise the scope of pre-service teacher preparation. Twenty-two documents, primarily from the UK, Australia and the USA were identified for review. Overall, information regarding training in comprehensive sexuality education for pre-service teachers is limited. The review identified wide variability in training content and positioning in primary and/or secondary programmes as either core or elective requirements. Current provision does not appear to align with international and best-practice guidelines in most instances. Further research and greater transparency regarding the preparation of pre-service teachers to deliver comprehensive sexuality education is recommended to identify and prioritise best-practice holistic teaching concepts to improve teacher and student outcomes.
... Specifically, it has been proposed that teachers need to be acquainted with and possess practical skills and knowledge of occupational health and safety requirements, physical and mental health, first aid and child protection legislation (Anderson, 2005;Hawkes, 2001). There is a perception that training and then provision of ongoing support for teachers to continue refining their skills in providing pastoral care has been overlooked in teacher training programs, or at least is not given adequate attention (Bernard et al., 2007;Cleave et al., 1997;Dewhirst et al., 2014). Best describes that the training of teachers in delivery of quality pastoral care has been "given low priority or, worse, simply ignored" (1990, p. 21), and if commitment to the development and students' holistic wellbeing is to be more than empty rhetoric, the ways in which teachers are prepared to provide quality pastoral care "is in urgent need of correction" (Best, 1990, p. 21). ...
... Best describes that the training of teachers in delivery of quality pastoral care has been "given low priority or, worse, simply ignored" (1990, p. 21), and if commitment to the development and students' holistic wellbeing is to be more than empty rhetoric, the ways in which teachers are prepared to provide quality pastoral care "is in urgent need of correction" (Best, 1990, p. 21). Further to the comprehensive research undertaken by Best and colleagues spanning a period of 25 years, research consistently asserts that teachers' understanding of what pastoral care in education contexts involves, and preparedness to deliver quality pastoral care is not addressed in adequate depth or priority in their initial teacher training (Bernard et al., 2007;Cleave et al., 1997;Dewhirst et al., 2014). While Best's body of research is more seminal than contemporary, more recent research (e.g., Danyluk, 2013;Philpott, 2015) indicates that this is a need yet to be satisfactorily addressed in ITE programs. ...
... The interview questions were adapted from examples of eminent research that sought to articulate teachers' perceptions and understanding of pastoral care in education contexts (e.g., Best, 1990;2014;Cleave et al.,1997;Dewhirst et al., 2014). Development of questions was also informed by research and interview questions that had been applied to residential education contexts (e.g., Anderson, 2005). ...
A teacher's preparedness to deliver quality pastoral care presents an ongoing challenge for teacher education institutions. It also presents a similar challenge for teachers and pre-service teachers who work in school boarding house contexts. The expectations and requirements of what pastoral care involves is ever shifting in response to the evolving challenges faced by students and staff alike. There are diverse interpretations and sometimes conflicting understandings of what pastoral care in education contexts involves. This ambiguity can have implications for how teachers are prepared to provide appropriate and quality pastoral care post initial teacher education. This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of what constitutes pastoral care from the perspectives of staff that are teachers (pre-service and in-service) working in a Tasmanian boarding school context. Using narrative analysis, the implications of professional learning opportunities in place and inherent to working in a residential-education context are elucidated. In doing so, the challenges and benefits of being/becoming a teacher in a residential-education context emerge, and the implications of the nexus between perception and enactment of pastoral care in this space is articulated.
... Over the past decade, teachers have been calling for more training [25][26][27] which may be tied to two contributing social factors: an increase in the diagnosis of mental health issues among children and adolescents [28] and inequities in the level of resources of mental health support across schools located in different postcode areas [29][30][31], leading to what researchers describe as a widespread sense of helplessness among teachers [32][33][34]. However, research on teacher experiences has, for some time, documented the inadequacies of teacher training to address students' mental health issues [35][36][37]. ...
... As a result, many teachers in this study felt that more teacher training should be considered to support teachers. Over the last decade, teachers have expressed their concerns that more training and support are needed to manage students' mental health issues in their classrooms [25,33,38]. While research has only started to reveal the extent of the issues teachers face, there has been little documentation of teachers' classroom experiences when a student presents with a mental health issue. ...
Background
Schoolteachers are often the first to respond when a student presents with a mental health issue in the classroom. This places a burden on schools that impacts school staff, healthcare workers and teachers. More broadly, it places a responsibility on the education system to address students’ mental health. This study examines Australian teachers’ classroom experiences and the training areas identified by teachers as necessary to manage these issues.
Method
Interviews were undertaken with 18 in-service teachers between 2020 and 2021 from Catholic, Independent and Public schools. Data were gathered via multiple interviews and analysed using thematic content analysis.
Results
The major mental health issues identified by teachers related to mental disorders, depression, anxiety, and a complex range of negative emotional states. Teachers requested training in child and adolescent mental health, counselling skills, early detection and intervention, and training skills to manage the complex relationship with parents and external health and community personnel. Teachers also reported the need to access mental health resources, support and training, which were differentially accessed along socioeconomic status and postcodes.
Conclusion
The data show that teachers are often placed as first responders when a student has a mental health issue but feel inadequately trained to manage these issues in the classroom. We identified mental health issues presenting in Australian classrooms and documented critical features of mental-health training asked for by teachers in order to address those issues. Given the increasing demands on teachers to address the mental health of children and adolescents, we argue that an urgent review of mental health training for teachers is needed.
... Despite many years of experience in the field of sexuality education, a study in the UK found that there is no hope of an increase in the quality of teacher education in the near future (Dewhirst et al., 2014). As these researchers argue, such change is mostly hindered by an education policy stance that does not identify preparation for sexuality education as a necessary part of the teacher education curriculum. ...
... As these researchers argue, such change is mostly hindered by an education policy stance that does not identify preparation for sexuality education as a necessary part of the teacher education curriculum. It is also hampered by the limited time resources that can be devoted to sexuality topics (Dewhirst et al., 2014). ...
The paper presents findings from an evaluative mixed-methods study on teacher training for sexuality education in Lithuania. The analysis of the course outlines of pedagogical studies has identified the scope of preparation for sexuality education, the topics of the content presented, and a typical programme of preparation for sexuality education. Based on the data from the survey of students and graduates, conclusions about their readiness to carry out sexuality education were formulated.
... En referencia al profesorado se constata su valor en la educación del ocio juvenil, dada su capacidad de influencia en los valores, actitudes, hábitos o comportamientos del alumnado (Dewhirst et al.;Sansanwal et al., 2015;Valdemoros, Alonso y Sanz, 2017), si bien recientes investigaciones (Fernández, Fernández y Rodríguez, 2017) ponen de manifiesto que los docentes aún no poseen las competencias digitales necesarias para trabajar adecuadamente esta área en los centros educativos. ...
... -En este sentido, constatada la importancia de la familia en la educación de la identidad digital de sus niños y jóvenes (Ruiz-Corbella y de Juanas, 2013) se propone dotar, no solo a los padres sino también a los abuelos como pieza clave de la dinámica familiar, de recursos formativos, mediante acciones regladas y accesibles, que tiendan puentes entre nativos digitales -niños y jóvenes-e inmigrantes digitales -padres y abuelos-. -Argumentado el valor del profesorado en la educación del ocio digital juvenil, por su capacidad de influencia en los valores, actitudes, hábitos o comportamientos del alumnado (Dewhirst et al.;Sansanwal et al., 2015; Valdemoros, Sanz y Ponce de León, 2017) se propone sensibilizar a este colectivo tanto sobre el potencial educativo de las redes sociales como sobre los riesgos de un uso inadecuado de las mismas, mediante la formación en buenas prácticas que fomenten un uso positivo y responsable de este recurso. Asimismo, la investigación reciente (Rodríguez et al., en prensa) apunta la necesidad de que en la formación permanente de este colectivo se incluya una mayor atención a las competencias digitales, y que se ofrezca a la institución educativa los recursos materiales y humanos necesarios para garantizar la coordinación tecnológico-pedagógica, así como un uso metodológico que parta del currículo, desde un liderazgo que facilite el beneplácito de los dispositivos digitales como mecanismo para la innovación educativa lo que, por ende, repercutirá en la formación integral del joven. ...
Las redes sociales se constituyen en modelo de comunicación de referencia para la juventud española y se erigen como la actividad de ocio digital juvenil preferente. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar las actividades principales de ocio más publicadas en las redes sociales por los jóvenes españoles, identificando las características sociodemográficas asociadas. La muestra estuvo constituida por 1764 estudiantes españoles de educación secundaria postobligatoria que representaron a todas las áreas territoriales del estado español. Se registraron sus actividades de ocio más importantes, el número y tipo de estas publicadas en las redes sociales, el sexo del estudiante y las áreas territoriales a las que pertenecían los participantes. El 64.2% de los estudiantes españoles de secundaria postobligatoria publica en las redes sociales la práctica de al menos una de sus tres actividades de ocio principales. Las fiestas y celebraciones se erigen como el ocio más difundido.Existen diferencias significativas en cuanto al sexo y área geográfica de residencia. Las mujeres comparten más su ocio prioritario en las redes sociales. Quienes dan importancia relevante al turismo, las fiestas y las actividades digitales, son los que más publican su ocio. Las conclusiones ofrecen claves de intervención educativa en un escenario social prioritario para la juventud y resultan de gran utilidad para los agentes implicados en la promoción del ocio entre los jóvenes españoles.
... There is evidence of a consensus on the responsibility of schools in leisure education, observing that the geographical area is not a differentiating factor. En este marco, se analiza una etapa educativa menos investigada, como es la secundaria postobligatoria y, de entre todos los agentes socializadores que han de coordinar y participar conjunta y responsablemente en la educación de la persona, se destaca al profesorado, por su implicación y responsabilidad social en la educación de su alumnado para la promoción de la salud, así como por el influjo que ejercen en los educandos sus valores, actitudes, hábitos o comportamientos (Dewhirst et al., 2014;Sansanwal, Derevensky, Lupu y Lupu, 2015). ...
... El presente estudio destaca que los docentes españoles de educación secundaria postobligatoria opinan, en su mayoría, que los centros educativos tienen una gran responsabilidad en la educación del ocio y que es necesaria la incorporación de profesionales para asumir dicho compromiso, lo que deriva en un resultado de gran interés, pues el profesorado es un agente educativo cardinal (Dewhirst et al., 2014;Sansanwal et al., 2015) y trabaja en un contexto propicio para la reflexión, el debate y una adecuada toma de decisiones (Zacarés, Iborra, Tomás y Serra, 2009). ...
Considering that the social and educational functions of the school and the social competences which are legislated for students are essential, in this article we examine the syllabuses for the undergraduate degree in social education and for the master’s degree in secondary education, understanding that both groups of professionals need specific qualifications to develop complementary functions in this area. For this purpose, we have carried out an analysis of content with predefined indicators of subjects’ programs, with the results showing a lack of training for teachers regarding essential social aspects and also a lack of training for social educators regarding the school environment
... There is evidence of a consensus on the responsibility of schools in leisure education, observing that the geographical area is not a differentiating factor. En este marco, se analiza una etapa educativa menos investigada, como es la secundaria postobligatoria y, de entre todos los agentes socializadores que han de coordinar y participar conjunta y responsablemente en la educación de la persona, se destaca al profesorado, por su implicación y responsabilidad social en la educación de su alumnado para la promoción de la salud, así como por el influjo que ejercen en los educandos sus valores, actitudes, hábitos o comportamientos (Dewhirst et al., 2014;Sansanwal, Derevensky, Lupu y Lupu, 2015). ...
... El presente estudio destaca que los docentes españoles de educación secundaria postobligatoria opinan, en su mayoría, que los centros educativos tienen una gran responsabilidad en la educación del ocio y que es necesaria la incorporación de profesionales para asumir dicho compromiso, lo que deriva en un resultado de gran interés, pues el profesorado es un agente educativo cardinal (Dewhirst et al., 2014;Sansanwal et al., 2015) y trabaja en un contexto propicio para la reflexión, el debate y una adecuada toma de decisiones (Zacarés, Iborra, Tomás y Serra, 2009). ...
La formación para el trabajo juega en la promoción de los derechos humanos y laborales un papel protagonista, debido a su condición habilitadora para el ejercicio profesional. Sin embargo, ha sido despojada, en ocasiones de manera intencionada, de esta dimensión humanista, escapando a dicho objetivo, que constituye un compromiso innegociable en la sociedad de la precariedad, la incertidumbre y la modernidad líquida. La Educación Social se vincula, así, con la formación profesional desde un punto de vista epistemológico
y profesional, por lo que abordaremos las posibilidades de la pedagogía social en su vertiente profesionalizadora en los contextos alemán y español.
... As early as 2009, Seligman et al. (2009) found that parents expected their children to gain happiness, self-esteem, health, and satisfaction in their lives, but as they were asked about their predominant notions of what schools taught their kids, they only reported on some accomplishment related factors like reflective skills, general literacy, math, and discipline. Dewhirst et al. (2014) also assumed that training in positive emotions as an important source of well-being is neglected mainly due to time confinement even in those countries in which positivity, well-being, and health are considered as relevant factors to teaching. Similarly, Mercer et al. (2018) have elaborated that several skills need to be taught in the twenty-first century. ...
Positive psychology (PP) is the study of the role of positive emotions in optimizing performance. In response to a dearth of research on harnessing the potential of PP in enriching language teacher education, the present study aimed at integrating PP into an English as a foreign language teacher education program to assess its effects on the development of positivity among teachers and possible improvement in their instructional practice. To that end, first the PERMA-Profiler was administered to 25 teachers, who were about to attend a teacher training course. The results of this phase revealed the need for an intervention to raise three focal participants' awareness of the tenets of PP since they scored below the mean on the scale. During the second phase, the three focal participants were trained in the principles of PP for six weeks. They were also asked to write reflections about the instruction they received on a weekly basis. Thematic analysis of their reflections indicated that the teachers formed positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment, which resulted in their enhanced instructional practice. Moreover, the participants believed that the intervention helped them actively engage with the main teacher training course. The findings imply that PP has the potential to enrich teacher education programs.
... And if we were to listen to the views of educators instead of billionaire venture capitalists, we would see that the real problem is that educators themselves, who are in a unique position to affect children and young people in a given society through compulsory school system by facilitating personal, social, health-related and economic education (Byrne et al. 2015;Dewhirst et al. 2014) are also being transformed into Ellul's technicians, who also happen to be organic intellectuals that help maintain market hegemony over public education. There are more than a few discussions on this matter in academic literature. ...
Education and technology are concepts so integrated into modern life that we usually take them for granted and rarely stop to think about their definitions. However, language is ideological, and it is argued that the haphazard use of the word Technology (the “T-word”) by educators reinforces the creation of myths, which, in turn, serve the interests of dominant classes in a society. In the end, our worldview, which is altered by these so-called myths, leads us to redefine what education might mean, ultimately severing it from a progressive philosophy. In this context, education technology is also reduced to its instrumental counterpart, EdTech, which is more of an ideology than discipline and which entails the commodification and marketization of public education. This chapter explores these ideas by providing a retrospective, reintroducing fundamental works from the 20 th century to help educators today establish a healthier dialectic in their relationship with the notions of technology and education technology.
... In line with our findings, a systematic review of 13 qualitative studies identified knowledge and competence as key facilitators to healthcare professionals discussing child weight with parents.23 In particular, our results suggest that additional training may be required for teachers and trainee teaching staff to develop these, which supports previous suggestions that teachers lack training in public health that could be relevant to their roles.67 Lack of clarity with regard to the role of teaching staff in public health and the need to improve their confidence and competence in dealing with issues relevant to the primary school setting is also supported by previous findings.68 ...
Interactions about children's weight and weight‐related behaviors occur from an early stage in school settings between various stakeholders and are often intended to facilitate weight‐related behavioral change in children and/or families. This meta‐synthesis (PROSPERO ‐ CRD42019133231) aimed to investigate stakeholder reported experiences and challenges of these encounters. Studies were eligible if they included school stakeholders (teaching or nonteaching staff, parents, caregivers, or children), explored communication topics related to child obesity (weight, diet or activity), were conducted within an early school setting (primary school stage or international equivalent), and used qualitative methods. Database searches conducted March–July 2019 (updated November 2020) identified 40 studies (2324 participants) from seven countries. Included studies were assessed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified four core themes across this database: (1) “conversation characteristics and consequences,” (2) “missing components,” (3) “avoiding stigma,” and (4) “school responsibilities.” Overall, stakeholders recognized that schools are well‐positioned to provide positive influential messages about childhood obesity and reported that discussions on this topic do occur in early school settings but that stakeholders find them difficult, complex, and lack the necessary skills to deliver the nonjudgmental, consistent, and tailored support that they desire.
... In order to combat the prevalence of FoMO, which may be considered a public health crisis that risks especially young population in the nations of the world, school teachers may play a highly important role, since they are in a unique position to promote throughout compulsory education the health and well-being of children and young people, by facilitating personal, social, health and economic education (Byrne et al., 2015;Dewhirst et al., 2014). And yet, it remains a question as to whether teachers and teacher candidates themselves can stay strong against FoMO or if they are equipped with coping mechanisms. ...
The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between teacher candidates' fear of missing out and their behavior on social networking sites. The study was designed with general and relational screening method, one of the quantitative research methods. The study group consists of 218 teacher candidates studying at the School of Education in Trakya University during the spring term of 2020-2021. Mann-Whitney U and Spearman Rank-Order correlational tests were used in the analysis of the data, alongside descriptive statistics. Findings indicate that the overall FoMO levels of the teacher candidates were below average. No difference was found in terms of FoMO according to gender. Finally, a low-level positive and significant relationship was found between the variable of FoMO and monthly frequency of user actions such as photo sharing and story posting. However, no significant relationship was found between FoMO levels and frequency of live broadcasts or status updates. In the light of the findings, it can be said at least in the specific context of teacher candidates that FoMO is related to particular types of behavior on social networking sites.
... In order to combat the prevalence of FoMO, which may be considered a public health crisis that risks especially young population in the nations of the world, school teachers may play a highly important role, since they are in a unique position to promote throughout compulsory education the health and well-being of children and young people, by facilitating personal, social, health and economic education (Byrne et al., 2015;Dewhirst et al., 2014). And yet, it remains a question as to whether teachers and teacher candidates themselves can stay strong against FoMO or if they are equipped with coping mechanisms. ...
The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between teacher candidates' fear of missing out and their behavior on social networking sites. The study was designed with general and relational screening method, one of the quantitative research methods. The study group consists of 222 teacher candidates studying at the faculty of education of Trakya University in the spring term of 2020-2021. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test and Pearson correlational analysis were used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the findings, the FoMO levels of the teacher candidates are below the average. No difference was found in terms of FoMO according to gender. Finally, a low-level positive and significant relationship was found between the variable of FoMO and behaviors such as monthly stories, live broadcasts and changing status on the social network. However, no significant relationship was found between FoMO level and age, class, and photo sharing on social networking sites as monthly . In the light of the findings, it can be said that FoMO is related to their behavior on social media networking sites.
... Global comparison for teachers' barriers in conducting classroom sessions on puberty, menstruation, and sexual and reproductive health education.USA[34,35] England[36] Australia[37] Swaziland[25] Uganda[5] Peru[38] Thailand[39] Malaysia[40] ...
Objective
To assess the perspectives of Bangladeshi teachers on the feasibility of delivery and potential for long-term sustainability of puberty and menstruation education in urban and rural schools.
Method
We developed a multi-module puberty and menstrual hygiene management education curriculum that teachers piloted for six months in four urban and rural government and private schools in Bangladesh. We conducted monthly assessments during piloting, discussion for manual revision and four group discussions with 20 participating teachers to understand perceived benefits, barriers, and sustainability of puberty and menstruation education among school children.
Results
Teachers acknowledged the importance of school-based puberty and menstruation education to improve students’ perception and preparedness. They found that the training and instructors’ manual they received were useful tools for effectively communicating with students. Teachers noted school and community pressure to de-emphasize educational content not included on nationally standardized examinations, and insufficient time and pre-service training for teaching sensitive topics served as barriers to implementing the pilot curriculum.
Conclusion
Pressure from school authorities and community may hinder the successful long-term delivery of school-based puberty and menstruation education programs that are external to the national curriculum. Our findings indicate that feasibly and sustainably improving education on these topics in Bangladeshi classrooms should be achieved through 1) revision of the current national curriculum to incorporate more comprehensive puberty and menstruation information including its physiology, management, and social context, 2) adequate training and support for teachers to deliver the content, and 3) incorporation of puberty and menstruation content into students’ national examinations which may better ensure teachers are given the tools and opportunity to prioritize teaching this content.
... Similarly, many Canadian teachers rely on an empirically supported curriculum without the training to appropriately deliver the materials in a classroom (Cohen et al., 2012). In England, sexuality education has been identified as a public health priority, yet current educational policy does not entail adequately training teachers to address this priority (Dewhirst et al., 2013;Long, 2019). One of the reasons for a lack of pre-service sexuality education training in England, and other countries, may be due to the increased time that pre-service teachers are spending in school placements compared to university classes, and competing learning priorities during their course work, resulting in less time devoted to learning how to deliver the sexuality education curriculum (Byrne et al., 2015). ...
Introduction
Teachers need training to provide high-quality sexuality education to adolescents. The recent release of a new Australian health curriculum provides a timely opportunity to examine the experiences of Australian sexuality education teachers since the release of this curriculum.
Methods
Australian teachers who had taught sexuality education since the 2015 release of the national health curriculum (N = 239) participated in this cross-sectional survey between 2017 and 2018. Survey items investigated teaching and training experiences; comfort with, and hours spent teaching, sexuality education; and the topics taught. Analyses included comparative means, correlations, and a standard multiple regression.
Results
Half of the sample taught health while the other half taught seven other subjects. Teachers who had received any training or professional development had higher scores on having had the “right” training (all ps < 0.005) and spent more hours on delivery of sexuality education (p ≤ 0.001); 10–20 h or more of training was more strongly affirmed as useful. Earlier training or professional development increased overall comfort, and comfort was the biggest predictor of increased content delivered (beta = − 0.278, p = 0.001). Training after new curricular requirements only aided comfort around “new material,” specifically, gender and sexual diversity (p = 0.007).
Conclusions
This study confirms that the amount and types of training received, perceived usefulness of that training, comfort delivering various parts of the curriculum, and the time spent in the classroom delivering sexuality education all support the delivery of high-quality sexuality education in schools.
Policy Implications
Results indicate that any Australian teacher could be required to teach sexuality education. Therefore, universities should supply pre-service teacher training in sexuality education across all degree programs. Education leaders should supply early professional development for new sexuality education teachers to enhance overall comfort, and subsequent professional development focused on “new material” or updates.
... The way in which a student teacher understands the concept is likely to have an influence on their practice. However, their confidence to teach and nurture pupils' health and wellbeing will also be influenced by their knowledge, awareness, and skills around the specific learning areas associated with this (Dewhirst et al., 2014), as indicated by the focus group participants who were Physical Education students. These participants told us the root of their confidence in this area came from their undergraduate degree knowledge, particularly in relation to physical health. ...
The aim of the research reported here was to examine how confident student teachers, preparing for a career in secondary school teaching, felt to meet their responsibilities to teach skills across literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. By inquiring into their on-campus and placement learning experiences, we aimed to explore the extent to which they felt their initial teacher education programme had enabled them to teach across each area, as the Scottish curriculum and
professional standards demand. A significant percentage of student teachers across all subject specialisms from our sample indicated a lack of confidence in providing numeracy experiences for their learners from within their subject area. Confidence for teaching literacy and health and wellbeing was much higher. In contexts where process-based curricula ask teachers to take responsibility for the development of learners’ skills beyond subject specialisms, research here suggests the need for detail and clarity in the planning and development of frameworks and curricula for Initial Teacher Education to support student teachers with interpreting and enacting their responsibilities in practice. Additionally, it highlights the importance of meaningful and effective vicarious and socially persuasive learning experiences to develop confidence.
... Diversos estudios han constatado el papel del profesorado en la educación del ocio juvenil (30). Una ocupación adecuada del tiempo libre limita las posibilidades de que el menor se vea implicado en conductas adictivas. ...
El propósito de la presente investigación fue estudiar el perfil psicológico de los adolescentes con riesgo de adicción a las redes sociales. Participaron 240 individuos de un instituto público de la localidad burgalesa de Aranda de Duero con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 18 años. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Cuestionario de Evaluación de Dificultades Interpersonales (CEDIA), la adaptación española de la Fear of Missing Out scale (FoMO; miedo a perderse algo) y la Escala de Riesgo de Adicción-adolescente a las Redes Sociales e Internet (ERA-RSI). Se encontró que existe una relación estadísticamente significativa entre FoMO y el riesgo de adicción a RSI (p<0.05). Las dificultades en las relaciones interpersonales no se asociaron con mayor riesgo de adicción, a excepción de las relaciones familiares, que sí lo hicieron. Por lo tanto, FoMO podría emplearse como predictor del riesgo de adicción a RSI. La investigación en los factores de alarma de adicción a las redes sociales requiere una atención especial, ya que su conocimiento permitiría prevenir el desarrollo de conductas desadaptativas en los adolescentes.
... El centro educativo se configura en un escenario privilegiado donde el ocio, como realidad esencial para el desarrollo personal y social desde la infancia hasta la juventud, debe constituirse en un factor fundamental de la educación integral del alumnado, por lo que estas instituciones deben asumir un compromiso pedagógico en la educación del ocio de las distintas etapas educativas (Caballo, Caride & Gradaílle, 2012;Ferreira, Pose & De Valenzuela, 2015) y en la promoción de la salud y el bienestar de los estudiantes (Dewhirst et al, 2014;Sansanwal, Derevensky, Lupu, & Lupu, 2015). ...
Las evidencias científicas señalan que las instalaciones educativas se configuran en espacios privilegiados para el fomento de la práctica de actividades físicas de ocio entre los jóvenes, pero ¿se constituyen en escenarios capitales para la práctica de cualquier tipo de ocio juvenil? El presente estudio indaga sobre los vínculos entre la organización de los horarios de clases de los centros educativos españoles de educación secundaria postobligatoria y el uso que hacen sus estudiantes de los espacios educativos para la práctica de ocio. Se adopta un enfoque metológico de carácter cuantitativo, desarrollado mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario elaborado ad hoc a una muestra de 1.764 estudiantes de todo el territorio español. El análisis de los datos se configura en dos fases, un análisis descriptivo y un análisis inferencial bivariado, a través de tablas de contingencia. Los resultados evidencian la predominancia de la jornada lectiva continua matutina frente a otras planificaciones de horarios de clase en la educación secundaria postobligatoria de España, siendo, además, el horario preferido por los estudiantes. Se descarta la influencia que el tipo de jornada educativa pudiera tener en el uso del centro educativo en el tiempo de ocio de los jóvenes, mientras que sí existe relación significativa entre las preferencias de la jornada escolar y la utilización de los espacios educativos.
... However, many language educators already work on promoting positive individual and social characteristics (such as motivation, positive identities, sense of confidence, growth mindsets, empathy, positive relationships, etc.), in order to facilitate and promote language learning, thereby supporting learners in their broader lives. Yet, even in countries where wellbeing and health are considered within the professional remit of teachers, there is evidence that their training in this regard is at best patchy with reasons given such as a lack of time and a prevailing belief that wellbeing and health are low priorities in education (see, e.g., Dewhirst et al., 2014). However, for language educators to incorporate language and wellbeing aims consciously and effectively, they would need proper support and training. ...
In this paper, we discuss the notion of Positive Language Education (PLE), which stems from a combination of Positive Education and Language Education. We suggest that there are good reasons for language educators to engage in enhancing 21st-century skills alongside the promotion of linguistic skills. One key set of 21st-century competences that would have academic and non-academic benefits are those which promote wellbeing. Wellbeing is indeed the foundation for effective learning and a good life more generally. Drawing on ideas from Content and Integrated Language Learning and Positive Education, PLE involves integrating non-linguistic and linguistic aims in sustainable ways which do not compromise the development of either skill set, or overburden educators. We believe that there are strong foundations on which to build a framework of PLE. Firstly, many language teachers already promote many wellbeing competences, in order to facilitate language learning. There is also a growing body of research on positive psychology (PP) in Second Language Acquisition on which further empirical work with PLE interventions can be developed. Building on the theoretical arguments put forward in this paper, we call for an empirically validated framework of PLE, which can be implemented in diverse cultural and linguistic settings.
... Unfortunately, the Ofsted (2013) report entitled Not Yet Good Enough deemed PSHE to be inadequate or requiring improvement in 40% of schools, highlighting poor leadership, lack of teacher expertise and limited curriculum time. The topics delivered in health education are often considered to be of lower priority compared with other aspects of the curriculum (Dewhirst et al., 2014); this is believed to be a consequence of the current results-driven culture which forces a focus on measurable academic outcomes, particularly evident in secondary schools (Formby and Wolstenholme, 2012;Willis and Wolstenholme, 2016). ...
Background
The broad nature of young people’s development is internationally acknowledged, which includes physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social elements. In England, schools have a legal obligation to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. It has been suggested that personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, a broad form of school-based health education, may contribute to building SMSC development in young people.
Objective
To examine the association between PSHE education in schools and outcomes of an SMSC nature.
Method
The study drew on data collected as part of the 2014 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study for England. Data were collected from young people aged 11, 13 and 15 years, using anonymous self-completed surveys administered during school lessons. The analysis drew on responses from 3,731 young people. Multilevel modelling was used to examine the association between PSHE education and variables of an SMSC nature, while controlling for demographic variables.
Results
Overall, the majority of young people who reported receiving PSHE education were positive about the benefits of this school-based health education. Positive perceptions of PSHE education were significantly associated with increased spirituality among young people, reduced engagement in both fighting and bullying perpetration and increased general self-efficacy.
Conclusion
This paper highlights the important role that health education in a school context may have for young people’s broader development, and contributes to the national evidence base advocating for compulsory PSHE education in schools.
... Although the majority of respondents acknowledged the importance of integrating health and welfare topics into the curriculum of teacher training and adhered to the holistic perspective of education, the results showed that currently insufficient attention is given to public health priorities and there is heterogeneity of the situation throughout the country. Greater attention has been given to topics that are considered to be more closely related to student learning and education, such as emotional health, rather than the skills needed to promote positive health behaviour (Dewhirst et al., 2014). ...
... Destacamos una investigación realizada en Inglaterra que examina el nivel de formación de futuros docentes de primaria en temas de salud, en la que se pone de relieve que la mayoría no están adecuadamente preparados para abordar problemas de salud pública en el aula. El trabajo concluye que la política educativa no atiende a las prioridades de salud pública, lo que constituye un obstáculo para lograr la alfabetización y la promoción de salud en la formación inicial del profesorado (Dewhirst et al. 2014). ...
... A 2011 survey of ITT providers in England about the health content of their courses found that coverage of PSHEe topics was variable (Dewhirst, Pickett, Speller, Shepherd, Byrne, Almond, Grace, Hartwell and Roderick, 2014;Shepherd et al., 2013). Yet, as the Ofsted report highlights, comprehensive training in PSHEe and health-related issues is vital in ITT, and may contribute to more effective health promotion in schools. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand early career teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a pre-service health education programme on their health promotion practice in schools and the contextual factors that influence this.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 primary and secondary trainee and qualified teachers who had trained at a university in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
The teachers found the training to be a useful introduction, particularly when it was relevant to their practice. They valued gaining practical skills at university, on placement and in school once qualified. They reported that witnessing pupils’ lives in school had increased their awareness that health education is important. Their personal qualities, life experience, the school’s ethos and competing pressures influenced their practice. Teachers considered that building relationships with colleagues, pupils and parents facilitated health promotion, and that health education needs to be relevant to pupils. Some teachers expressed that teaching about health could be a “minefield”. They also discussed whether schools or parents are responsible for educating pupils about health issues and the place of health promotion within education’s wider purpose.
Originality/value
Few studies have followed-up trainee teachers once they are in teaching posts to explore the longer-term perceived impact of pre-service health education training. The findings suggest that teachers’ development takes place via an interaction between training and practice, suggesting that training could particularly aim to provide teachers with a contextualised understanding of health issues and practical experience.
... Innovations in professional education and training which bridge these priorities may well need further investment in order to facilitate shared understanding and ownership across organisational and professional boundaries. An example has been piloted through research at the University of Southampton which shows that effective training results in great improvements in trainee teachers' confidence and competence in dealing with certain aspects of health education (Dewhirst et al., 2014). ...
The National Health Service Institute for Innovation and Improvement was established to help the NHS to improve healthcare by rapidly developing and disseminating knowledge and evidence about new ways of working. One example is the Emergency and Urgent Care Pathway for Children and Young People which focused on providing high quality and safe healthcare for children and young people requiring urgent or emergency treatment for the most common illnesses and injuries. Monkey's Guide to Healthy Living and NHS Services was developed to increase awareness of acute health services in primary school-aged children. This free resource was posted to every primary school in England. A process and impact evaluation was undertaken to explore how the resource was being utilized during 2013-2014. A small number of in-depth case studies were developed involving classroom-based observations and teacher interviews along with a much larger online survey which was emailed to all primary schools in England. On the whole, the resource was viewed as useful, engaging, and informative; with children, teachers, and other professionals particularly valuing the monkey puppet, video clips, and teacher resources. The National Evaluation highlighted that most respondents integrated the materials into the curriculum, used them as a one-off lesson, or developed their own innovative and strategic approaches to make the best use of the resources; almost two-thirds of schools who responded to the survey felt the resources led to pupils knowing about the available NHS services and healthy lifestyles; over half felt pupils were now more informed about the most appropriate services to use.
The paper analyses the value narratives on youth sex education presented to the public by influencers and parents of school-age children. The research questions are: what is the content of the value narratives in the field of sexuality presented to the public by influencers and parents of school-age children? what is the motivational environment for teachers delivering sex education? what are the possible principles of communication between teachers, organisations involved in sex education, and parents? The empirical research data were collected using a mixed methods strategy. The methodological and value differences between the institutions providing sex education in Lithuania were found to be insignificant, nevertheless, there are significant differences in the value narratives between the concepts of ‘sexuality education’ and ‘sex education’ in the public sphere. Parents of school-age children are exposed to fragmented, value-indoctrinated sex education content presented by influencers, leading to social tensions in school communities regarding children’s sex education. The analysis of the narratives of influencers and parents on the topic of sex education shows that the constructive participation of interested groups (educators, parents, social organisations) in the policy of sex education is impossible without the principles of critical analysis, attention to conflicts, and social dialogue.
The contemporary school environment in England has been identified as stressful for both staff and pupils. School-based interventions aimed at improving well-being and mental health have shown mixed results. The Principle Based Model (PBM) of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought is an untried intervention in English schools and as a working model there is a paucity of research into its potential. The aim of this mixed-methods pilot study was to investigate the effectiveness of the PBM as a means of increasing the psychological well-being of staff and pupils. The study was a 16-week pre, post, and follow-up study using the Friedman Well-Being Scale (FWBS) as a measure of psychological well-being, and analyzed using matched sample t tests and repeated measures ANOVA. The study was carried out in a high school in the east of England with 10 staff and nine pupils. The staff and pupils involved received the PBM as a psychoeducational program. During the follow-up period, six members of staff and one pupil were interviewed and the transcripts analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The pre to post total FWBS scores showed an increase in psychological well-being for both staff and pupils but only the change for pupils was statistically significant. Post to follow-up total FWBS scores for both staff and pupils showed no significant change. This study provides some initial evidence to suggest that the PBM may be a useful tool for schools to utilize in attempting to increase psychological well-being.
School-based gratitude interventions show evidence of enhancing student well-being but there is limited research suggesting how gratitude increases well-being. There is also the need for a suitable tool to measure children’s gratitude and evaluate the impact of gratitude interventions. The researcher sought to address these literature gaps. A systematic literature review was used to
address the question ‘which variables mediate the association between young people’s gratitude and well-being?’. Stronger evidence was found for cognitive and social resources as mediators, compared to mediators related to affect. A lack of experimental and longitudinal studies in the current evidence base was identified, highlighting avenues for future research.
In an empirical study, the researcher designed and screened a new questionnaire of children’s gratitude, the Questionnaire of Appreciation in Youth (QUAY). Items were developed using the literature to identify a comprehensive definition of gratitude and its key features, and through discussion with the research supervisors who have extensive experience of studying gratitude. The initial items were screened in a focus group with three children aged eight to nine.
Exploratory factor analysis was then conducted with responses from 107 children aged eight to 10. This led to the development of an 11-item scale with good reliability and convergent validity with an existing measure of gratitude, the GQ-6. A three-factor structure was retained, with subscales addressing gratitude, appreciation, and sense of privilege. Limitations include the lack
of a more diverse sample, the absence of reverse-scored items, positive skew in responses, and the need to establish discriminant validity. Implications include new insights into the structure of children’s gratitude, providing a working tool which could be further developed in order to measure children’s gratitude more effectively.
This study explores perceptions of child abuse and child protection matters involving staff working in the out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) sector. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an online survey, focus group and interviews with staff and managers employed by one organisation that provided OSHC services in Sydney, Australia. This paper reports on their perceptions about implementing mandatory reporting requirements associated with the concepts of ‘significant harm’ and ‘reportable conduct’. The aim of this paper is to engage OSHC stakeholders, including government, in reviewing child protection policies and practices to support educators in their work with children. Key findings indicate the inadequacy of available training, and the importance of relationships and communication between stakeholders, especially OSHC and school staff. This requires systemic change including raising the status of OSHC and the critical role that these educators have in supporting children's development, learning and wellbeing during the early years of school.
Key Practitioner Messages
• It is important that leadership supports educators to engage in respectful partnerships with families and schools to ensure child protection, and thereby child wellbeing and learning outcomes
• Training in supporting children's safety and wellbeing in OSHC is critical.
• There is a need for a systems approach to OSHC services which places children's development, learning and wellbeing at the forefront of professional practice.
‘Explores perceptions of child abuse and child protection matters involving staff working in the out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) sector’
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) is undergoing changes within UK schools, and many topics, including healthy lifestyles, sex and relationships, and mental resilience/wellbeing will become statutory parts of the curriculum. The overall aim of this study was to describe teachers’ views about these topics and how they should be delivered. A cross sectional online survey was completed by 167 teachers (87.8% female). Questions were asked about what was currently covered in schools, and which topics were important, and appropriate. Rating scales were used to garner attitudes and open ended questions probed for more details from the participants. Peer pressure about drugs and alcohol was commonly discussed (72% of participants) however pleasurable effects of drugs were rated inappropriate by 38.1%. Sexting (75.4%), sexual consent (69.5%) were the most frequently discussed in the sex and relationship topics, while 26.5% said that sexually transmitted diseases were not appropriate to talk about in school. Resilience (94.3%), body image/appearance (91.9%) had high levels of coverage, while 41.8% said treatments for mental health conditions were not discussed but should be. For all topics, most teachers rated their access to training as insufficient. Confidence in talking about the topic of mental health and wellbeing was lower than for the other topics. Issues highlighted by these findings should be addressed when new curriculums are being planned. Teachers witness the challenges faced by their pupils on a daily basis and their experiences, alongside further engagement with pupils, should be used to meaningfully inform the new PSHE curriculum.
Factors that affect novice teachers' willingness to engage with health and wellbeing education are explored. An online questionnaire was sent to novice teachers in England (n = 114) who had received pre-service training in health and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted (n = 14) to support the questionnaire findings. Pre-service training appears to have some impact on new teachers. However, school ethos, attitudes of senior leadership, the level or extent of mentoring influence these novice teachers’ identity as health promoters. Nurturing this nascent identity has policy and resource implications for senior leaders in schools and governments particularly where health and wellbeing is not prioritised.
Teachers play a key role in promoting children and young people’s health and therefore require health training during their initial teacher education (ITE). However, little is known about the impact of such training on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and competence toward promoting health in school, especially long term. We report on Phase 1 of an 18-month project examining the long-term impact of an innovative health education program, based on socio-constructivist learning and critical reflection, during preservice teacher training at one ITE university in England. It also explored barriers and facilitators to promoting health in school. We sent a questionnaire to 1,014 primary and secondary school teachers from three consecutive cohorts: preservice teachers (N = 334), newly qualified teachers (N = 334), and early careers teachers (N = 346). Of these, 164 (16%) responded (32% of preservice teachers, 8% of in-service teachers). This low response rate presents limitations but is in accordance with other research following up early career teachers. The majority of the respondents found the training useful, felt confident and knowledgeable teaching and dealing with health issues, and held positive attitudes about promoting health. They indicated that practical experience, supportive colleagues, and a positive school ethos toward children’s health and well-being were important facilitators to teaching health education. We conclude the training is associated with a positive, long-term effect in the minority who responded, and we argue that the socio-constructivist nature of the health education training is a contributor. However, school environment factors might mitigate or support the impact of training provided during ITE.
The role of schools in addressing pupil health, well-being and personal development is a matter of much political and academic debate in England. Evidence from the UK and internationally suggests that a ‘Healthy School’ approach, with high-quality Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education at its heart, can make a significant contribution to achieving both health and academic outcomes. A ‘Healthy School’ approach recognises that schools are in a unique position to offer an almost universal public health intervention for children and young people. Working with schools is therefore an ideal way to achieve public health objectives and to develop partnership working between children’s services and public health teams. If these objectives are to be achieved, high-quality PSHE education must be at the heart of a healthy schools approach. Indeed, the Chief Medical Officer in her most recent annual report emphasised this very point when she referred to PSHE education as ‘the bridge between education and public health’. Yet if schools are to play an active role in achieving these outcomes, and PSHE education is to form that bridge between academic and public health outcomes, schools need to see why health outcomes are important and help them to achieve other objectives. This paper sets out the evidence they need and explores ways in which schools and local authorities can work together to achieve shared outcomes.
The role of schools in addressing pupil health, well-being and personal development is a matter of much political and academic debate in England. Evidence from the UK and internationally suggests that a ‘Healthy School’ approach, with high-quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education at its heart, can make a significant contribution to achieving both health and academic outcomes. A ‘Healthy School’ approach recognises that schools are in a unique position to offer an almost universal public health intervention for children and young people. Working with schools is therefore an ideal way to achieve public health objectives and to develop partnership working between children's services and public health teams. If these objectives are to be achieved, high-quality PSHE education must be at the heart of a healthy schools approach. Indeed, the Chief Medical Officer in her most recent annual report emphasised this very point when she referred to PSHE education as ‘the bridge between education and public health.’ Yet, if schools are to play an active role in achieving these outcomes, and PSHE education is to form that bridge between academic and public health outcomes, schools need to see why health outcomes are important and help them to achieve other objectives. This paper sets out the evidence they need and explores ways in which schools and local authorities can work together to achieve shared outcomes.
This paper presents findings from a survey of pre-service teacher training institutions in England with regard to the provision of health and well-being education. It examines factors affecting the inclusion of health and well-being,
and explores educational implications in light of the changing landscape of pre-service teacher education in England. Provision of health and well-being
education is noticeably variable across institutions, and many course leaders are unclear about the coverage in their partner schools. Course leaders regard health
and well-being as an important part of the curriculum, but the focus is usually on generic health-related themes such as child protection and behaviour management,
which address Government priorities, rather than on specific topics such as education about diet, drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex and relationships and
physical activity. The paper argues that these aspects should be addressed for pre-service teachers to have an increased sense of self-efficacy and become
capable health promoters.
This article reports on recent findings from a mapping study of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in schools in England, focusing on the data derived from primary school participants. It is based on a nationally representative survey of 923 primary school PSHE education leads, and follow-up in-depth interviews and discussion groups with 171 participants. This included local authority support staff, and from participating primary schools: senior management representatives, PSHE education leads, teaching staff, governors, school improvement partners, parents, and pupils. Results included here primarily relate to two areas: delivery models and curriculum coverage, and pupil views on their experiences and the (potential) value of PSHE education. In examining these areas, the article raises issues about blurred boundaries between PSHE education and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning and/or pastoral care within school more widely, and particular staff sensitivities about the teaching of certain elements of PSHE education, particularly sex and relationships education and drugs, alcohol and tobacco education. These subject areas were less likely to be included or prioritised within PSHE education than, for example, emotional health and well-being, but were often the areas highlighted as most important by pupils. In conclusion, the article raises questions about the potential links between PSHE education and attainment, and the use of different teaching approaches across the curriculum more broadly.
SUMMARY The health promoting school has emerged as a compre- hensive framework to enhance the health status and health potential of school students. It requires teachers to be proactive in a number of areas beyond the formal curriculum. The success of health promoting schools will depend largely on what teachers know about its building blocks and the likelihood that they will be adopted. A number of teachers were interviewed and surveyed in a sequential study to ascertain their understanding of what constitutes a health promoting school. The findings indicate that teachers think mainly about school health in terms of the curriculum; have little understanding of how community partnerships might work; are very sup- portive of the concept; and have limited preservice and inservice training in health issues. It is argued that the growth of health promoting schools will be dependent on comprehensive professional development programmes; the production of resources which link teachers' per- ceived core business—teaching the mandated curric- ulum—to the building blocks of the health promoting school; closer collaboration between the health and education sectors; and a recognition by the community that schools cannot easily address (and solve) society's health concerns.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a curriculum change in the provision of health promotion in pre‐service teacher education in a one‐year postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) secondary course in one Higher Education Institution (HEI) in England.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes the iterative development process, from an initial survey and mapping of the existing pre‐service teacher training programme, which provided an evidence base for the piloting of a new health promotion component in the curriculum, and its subsequent evaluation. Changes to the health promotion element of the curriculum reflect the programme philosophy which balances the requirements of a competency based curriculum with a more liberal approach to education and training in which pre‐service teachers are expected to critically reflect on, and evaluate their practice. This work adopts a socio‐constructivist approach to teacher education, in which teachers develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes by interacting with others through dialogue, and learning from more knowledgeable others in a cooperative and scaffolded manner.
Findings
The paper presents the results of these changes and discusses implications for their sustainability. The changes made to the health promotion component of the programme and their implementation would not have been possible without the inter‐professional collaboration that took place over three years.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge similar work involving a multi‐disciplinary collaborative approach to the development of a health education component of a pre‐service teacher education curriculum has not been employed or reported.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to report the outcome of an education and public health collaboration investigating the impact of adapted training to enhance teachers' potential role to promote child health and wellbeing.
Design/methodology/approach
– The study was conducted in three phases: a survey of the health education content in universities in initial teacher training courses; a longitudinal survey at the commencement and completion of courses to capture trainees' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards health and their role in health promotion; and mapping curriculum content against qualified teacher standards and public health competencies.
Findings
– Training about health varies largely between institutions. Trainees' knowledge levels remained low after training; ranked importance of key health topics – nutrition, alcohol, smoking, – decreased significantly; a majority thought that teachers and schools play an important role in health promotion, but significant increases were also noted in the minority who thought health promotion is not part of their remit (Phase 2).
Originality/value
– To the best of one's knowledge, similar work has not so far been reported. While teachers are in a prime position to influence child health, trainees require knowledge and skills to realise their public health potential.
This article discusses some key findings about secondary schools from a mapping study of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in England. The secondary school elements of the study combined a nationally representative survey of 617 secondary schools with follow-up in-depth case studies in five of these schools. These case studies involved interviews and discussion groups with pupils, parents and key school staff members, as well as governors and school improvement partners, and local authority support staff. Results reported here relate to the models and methods of delivery; frequency and curriculum coverage; the purpose and value of schooling, and PSHE education, and issues about staffing, expertise and credibility. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with primary schools. In doing so, the article raises issues about the diminished status and priority of PSHE education in secondary as compared with primary schools, and how this may stem from the ways in which schools do/do not value the subject, and its relationship to broader attainment and education policy contexts.
Operating within the “settings” approach of the Ottawa Charter, the European Network of Health Promoting Schools has, since its launch in 1992, been the most powerful catalyst for the development of the health-promoting school concept across Europe. Founded on a partnership between the European Union, Council of Europe and the World Health Organization, it is now established in 40 countries right across Europe. Its principles have been determined by a range of key meetings, conferences and documents, while the evaluation of its practice increasingly suggests that it is highly effective. The network is based on the principles of empowerment, partnership, democracy, equity, action competence and sustainability, and sees key areas for action as being teacher education, links with parents and the community, and evaluation, to move health promotion in schools on to a sound evidence base. Targets for the future development of the network include extending it to the few remaining countries that still fall outside it, and the widespread dissemination of its learning and goals, so that every child in Europe can have the benefits of being educated in a health-promoting school.
In 2007, the World Health Organization, together with United Nations and international organization as well as experts, met to draw upon existing evidence and practical experience from regions, countries and individual schools in promoting health through schools. The goal of the meeting was to identify current and emerging global factors affecting schools, and to help them respond more effectively to health, education and development opportunities. At the meeting, a Statement was developed describing effective approaches and strategies that can be adopted by schools to promote health, education and development. Five key challenges were identified. These described the need to continue building evidence and capturing practical experience in school health; the importance of improving implementation processes to ensure optimal transfer of evidence into practice; the need to alleviating social and economic disadvantage in access to and successful completion of school education; the opportunity to harness media influences for positive benefit, and the continuing challenge to improve partnerships among different sectors and organizations. The participants also identified a range of actions needed to respond to these challenges, highlighting the need for action by local school communities, governments and international organizations to invest in quality education, and to increase participation of children and young people in school education. This paper describes the rationale for and process of the meeting and the development of the Statement and outlines some of the most immediate efforts made to implement the actions identified in the Statement. It also suggests further joint actions required for the implementation of the Statement.
Schools are an important setting for health promotion and teachers have an integral role to play in promoting children and young people’s health and well-being. Adequate initial teacher training (ITT) and continuing professional development in health is therefore important.
Objectives
To conduct a survey of initial teacher training providers in England and a systematic review of effectiveness to assess how health and well-being is covered on courses, and to identify barriers and facilitators to effective training.
Methods
Methods included an online questionnaire survey with a sample of 220 ITT course managers in England; interviews with a purposive sample of 19 of the course managers responding to the questionnaire; and a two-stage systematic review comprising a descriptive map of the characteristics of international research studies of health teacher training and a detailed synthesis of a subset of studies specifically on pre-service training. Databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Campbell Library and PsycINFO) were searched from the period of database inception up to May 2011.
Results
The overall response rate for the survey was 34%. The majority (89%) of respondents agreed that it was either important or very important to cover health within the ITT curriculum. The most commonly covered topics on courses were
Every Child Matters
(100%), child protection (100%), emotional health (99%) and antibullying (97%). Fewer course managers reported covering healthy eating (63%), sex and relationships (62%), drugs (56%), alcohol (41%) and smoking (34%). Many interviewees expressed a holistic view of education and believed that health was important in the ITT curriculum. However, there was variability in how health was addressed across and within institutions. Trainee teachers' experience of addressing child health on school placement was also variable. Facilitators to covering health included interests and backgrounds of ITT staff; staff health-related professional experience; availability of health expertise from external agencies; supportive government policy frameworks; and interprofessional and interdepartmental working. The main barriers were limited curriculum time; health being perceived to be a lower priority than other aspects of training; health no longer a high government priority in education; and lack of funding. A total of 170 studies met the eligibility criteria for the descriptive map. The majority covered teacher training in relation to sexual and reproductive health, drugs and alcohol or mental and emotional health. A total of 21 publications (20 studies) were prioritised for the synthesis. All were evaluations of health training for pre-service teachers, and just under half were from the UK. Twelve studies reported outcomes (impact of training on teachers, but not pupils), many of which were single cohort before-and-after studies. Sixteen studies reported processes. Following training there were some increases in trainee teachers' factual knowledge of health and a general increase in their confidence to address health issues. In general, training was acceptable and well received by trainees. Evidence suggested that effective training should include practical experience and skills and be personally relevant and take into account individual needs. Barriers to health training identified from the studies included lack of time, balancing breadth and depth, and variation in training provision.
Conclusions
Among those surveyed there appears to be general support for health and well-being in ITT. However, further research on the longer-term impact of ITT around health and well-being is needed, particularly in the early career period. The main limitation of this research was the low response rate (34%) to the survey.
Study registration
PROSPERO number CRD42012001977.
Funding
The National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.
Objective To assess the sexual health knowledge of teachers who contribute to secondary school sexual health education in order to determine whether teachers are adequately prepared to implement present government education and public health policies.Design Results were obtained from a questionnaire as part of a two‐phase intervention study.Setting Nineteen mixed‐sex, state secondary schools in central England.Participants One hundred and fifty‐five teachers (94 female, 61 male) participated.Main outcome measures The questionnaires were distributed to teachers to assess their knowledge of sexual health, contraception and sexually transmitted infections. In addition, teachers' attitudes on the subject of sex and relationships education were evaluated.Results The results suggest that teachers have insufficient sexual health knowledge to effectively teach sexually transmitted infections or emergency contraception, although their general sexual health knowledge was good. Therefore, at present teachers do not have adequate specialist knowledge in sexual health to contribute to current recommendations for sex and relationships education in secondary schools. There were no statistically significant differences in the results regarding location of school, area of residence, gender or age of the participant.Conclusions Many teachers are being expected to contribute to secondary school sexual health education programmes at a time when they do not have sufficient knowledge to provide young people with adequate sexual health education and when they do not feel prepared to teach, and in many cases would prefer not to teach, these programmes.
Purpose
– The aim of this literature review is to summarise and synthesise the research base concerning childhood obesity and physical activity, particularly in relation to teachers and schools and within a policy context of the UK. The review investigates childhood obesity, physical activity, physical education, the role of teachers, the role of schools and physical activity in the classroom.
Design/methodology/approach
– A literature review was undertaken involving selection of primary research and other systematic reviews. A computer search was performed using a combination of keywords including: obesity, prevention, intervention, preventive, teachers, schools, healthy schools, role models, physical activity, physical education, active school, active classroom. The review also includes samples of media coverage of the issue.
Findings
– This review highlights the complex and ambiguous nature of the evidence in relation to this important contemporary issue.
Originality/value
– A limited understanding of childhood obesity is evident from the review and this precludes definitive conclusions in relation to almost all aspects of the agenda. More quality research is needed in almost all areas of the topic, including areas such as the engagement of schools and teachers.
This article explores the current context for personal, social and health education (PSHE) in English schools, and examines what the implications of the ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) agenda are for schools in the future and how these changes may affect the profile and provision of PSHE in the curriculum. The author begins by revisiting the most recent Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in the UK (Ofsted) subject report on PSHE, before moving on to consider both the potential impact of the (2006) duty on schools to promote well‐being contained within the recent Education and Inspections Act and the recent review of the English Secondary National Curriculum, which presents PSHE as personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education), establishing twin, non‐statutory programmes of study for personal well‐being and economic well‐being. He argues that there are now significant opportunities for PSHE to realise its potential through these shifts in context and emphasis. He proposes that in order for this to happen, policymakers and practitioners must embrace the concept of ‘well‐being’ as an educational imperative and align and embed it within the drive to raise standards, concluding that PSHE must be given statutory status within the National Curriculum and must, as a result, prepare itself to accept the challenge of increased scrutiny and accountability that this revised status will demand.
The latest alcohol-related harm statistics from the UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS) were released on Jan 26, 2012,1 and provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the projections of alcohol-related liver deaths that we previously reported in this journal with 2008 data.2 Using the standard ONS definition,3 alcohol-related liver deaths in England and Wales fell from 6470 in 2008 to 6230 in 2009, but then increased again to 6317 in 2010.4 These data do not include the wider spectrum of alcohol attributable mortality, which would also include acute deaths from accidents, violence, and suicide or from chronic diseases, such as hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract. Alcohol-related liver deaths thus account for around a quarter of total alcohol-related deaths.
The European Network of Health-Promoting Schools: The Alliance of Education and Health
- Rivett D Barnekow Rv
- M Burgher
2 Barnekow RV, Rivett D, Burgher M. The European Network of Health-Promoting Schools: The Alliance of Education and Health. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 1999.
The Health Promoting School: Policy, Research and Practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002. 4 St Leger L. Australian teachers' understanding of the health promot-ing school concept and the implications for the development of school health
- S Denman
- A Moon
- Parsons
Denman S, Moon A, Parsons C et al. The Health Promoting School: Policy, Research and Practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002. 4 St Leger L. Australian teachers' understanding of the health promot-ing school concept and the implications for the development of school health. Health Promot Int 1998;13(3):223– 35.
A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England London: Department of Health, 2013. 7 Crowe F. Learning for well-being: personal, social and health educa-tion and a changing curriculum
- Department
- Health
6 Department of Health. A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England. London: Department of Health, 2013. 7 Crowe F. Learning for well-being: personal, social and health educa-tion and a changing curriculum. Pastoral Care Educ 2008;26(1):43– 51.
Independent Review of the Proposal to Make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education Statutory. London: Department for Children
- A Macdonald
Macdonald A. Independent Review of the Proposal to Make Personal, Social,
Health and Economic (PSHE) Education Statutory. London: Department
for Children, Schools and Families, 2009.
23 Weber P. Basic Content Analysis CA: Sage, 1990. 24 Davies SC. Annual report of the chief medical officer On the State of the Public's Health. London: Department of Health, 2012. 25 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) One to One Interventions to Reduce the Transmission of
- Analysis Maidenhead
Investigation, Measurement and Analysis. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005. 23 Weber P. Basic Content Analysis, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1990. 24 Davies SC. Annual report of the chief medical officer, Volume 1, 2011: On the State of the Public's Health. London: Department of Health, 2012. 25 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). One to One Interventions to Reduce the Transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Including HIV, and to Reduce the Rate of Under 18 Conceptions, Especially among Vulnerable and at Risk Groups: NICE Public Health Intervention Guidance 3. London: NICE, 2007. 26 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Pre-service teacher training in health and wellbeing as part of personal, social, health and economic education in England: the state of the nation
- J Byrne
- M Grace
- J Shepherd
Byrne J, Grace M, Shepherd J et al. Pre-service teacher training
in health and wellbeing as part of personal, social, health and economic education in England: the state of the nation, manuscript in
preparation.
On the State of the Public's Health. London: Department of Health
- S C Davies
Davies SC. Annual report of the chief medical officer, Volume 1, 2011:
On the State of the Public's Health. London: Department of Health,
2012.