A longitudinal study to explore the impact of preservice teacher health training on early career teachers’ roles as health promoters
A longitudinal study to explore the impact of preservice teacher health training on early career teachers’ roles as health promoters
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.
health curriculum, health education, longitudinal evaluation, preservice teacher education
170-183
Byrne, J.
135bc0f8-7c8a-42d9-bdae-5934b832c4bf
Pickett, K.
1bac9d88-da29-4a3e-9fd2-e469f129f963
Rietdijk, W.
0edd8cf8-a325-43d0-9b08-2268c9e7b7f4
Shepherd, J.
dfbca97a-9307-4eee-bdf7-e27bcb02bc67
Grace, M.
bb019e62-4134-4f74-9e2c-d235a6f89b97
Roderick, P.
dbb3cd11-4c51-4844-982b-0eb30ad5085a
20 February 2016
Byrne, J.
135bc0f8-7c8a-42d9-bdae-5934b832c4bf
Pickett, K.
1bac9d88-da29-4a3e-9fd2-e469f129f963
Rietdijk, W.
0edd8cf8-a325-43d0-9b08-2268c9e7b7f4
Shepherd, J.
dfbca97a-9307-4eee-bdf7-e27bcb02bc67
Grace, M.
bb019e62-4134-4f74-9e2c-d235a6f89b97
Roderick, P.
dbb3cd11-4c51-4844-982b-0eb30ad5085a
Byrne, J., Pickett, K., Rietdijk, W., Shepherd, J., Grace, M. and Roderick, P.
(2016)
A longitudinal study to explore the impact of preservice teacher health training on early career teachers’ roles as health promoters.
Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 2 (3), .
(doi:10.1177/2373379916644449).
Abstract
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.
Text
Impact of pre-service teacher health training.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
Text
Impact of pre-service teacher health training - final published
- Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 February 2016
Published date: 20 February 2016
Keywords:
health curriculum, health education, longitudinal evaluation, preservice teacher education
Organisations:
Faculty of Medicine, Mathematics, Science & Health Education
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 390548
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/390548
ISSN: 2373-3799
PURE UUID: d19b426d-c301-41be-a2c1-e56115e3f1b3
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Apr 2016 11:41
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:20
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
W. Rietdijk
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
