Implementing the health promoting school in Denmark: a case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lone Lindegaard Nordin
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
School Context ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Curriculum Guidelines ◽  
Health Promoting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into teachers’ practice in implementing school-based health promotion. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative research was designed as a multiple case study. The study involved five schools, 233 pupils in the age 12-16 and 23 teachers. The primary data generation method were focus groups. Findings – According to the national guidelines the health education in primary schools in Denmark should be based on the critical approach to health education developed within the European Network of Health Promoting Schools. However, the study showed that teachers’ implementation of the guidelines in practice was closer to traditional health education, which focuses only lifestyle change, than to critical health education which also explores the underlying conditions for health. Research limitations/implications – The study explored teachers’ implementation practices, and the individual and institutional factors that influence the practice. This paper restricts itself to examining teachers’ practice against the national curriculum guidelines. Practical implications – The teachers were not sufficiently familiar with the curriculum guidelines or the critical approach to health education. The inclusion of the national curriculum and the principles of critical health education in the initial and in-service professional development of teachers is an urgent priority if this gap is to be reduced. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the debate related to the potentials and barriers for implementing of health promotion interventions in a school context.

Socio-ecological school environments and children’s health and wellbeing outcomes

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 420-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yetunde O. John-Akinola ◽  
Saoirse Nic Gabhainn
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Health ◽  
School Policy ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
School Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Promoting

Purpose – Attention to improving the school environment is a common activity in school health promotion. The role of the school environment in supporting improved health and wellbeing has a theoretical base, but has rarely been directly investigated empirically. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between school socio-ecological environment and health and wellbeing outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire data were collected from 231 pupils in nine primary schools: urban and rural; single and mixed gender; disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged; and health promoting schools (HPS) and non-HPS. Questionnaire items included perceptions of the school socio- ecological environment (school perception, class relationships, teacher relationships, school policy and parental participation) and health and wellbeing outcomes. Findings – Reported school perception (OR 1.21, 95 per cent CI 1.12-1.30), class relationships (OR 1.13, 95 per cent CI 1.06-1.21), relationship with teacher (OR 1.20, 95 per cent CI 1.11-1.29), perception of school policy (OR 1.25, 95 per cent CI 1.13-1.37) and parents’ participation in school life (OR 1.32, 95 per cent CI 1.15-1.51) were all significantly associated with health and wellbeing outcomes for all groups of pupils. Very few differences emerged between different school types on the measures of either school socio-ecological environment or measures of health and wellbeing. Originality/value – The socio-ecological environment is clearly related to general health and wellbeing outcomes, which underlines its relevance to school health promotion. The lack of discernable differences between HPS and non-HPS demonstrate the lack of clarity in definitions of the health promoting status of schools.

scholarly journals Community participation in rural Ecuador’s school feeding programme

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Torres ◽  
Venka Simovska
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Feeding ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Meaningful Participation ◽  
Small Rural Schools

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate concerning community participation in school-based health education and health promotion, with regard to food and nutrition. Design/methodology/approach Based on empirical data generated over the course of one year of fieldwork in three rural communities and schools in Ecuador, the study examines community participation related to the implementation of the school feeding programme (SFP) in rural schools in Ecuador. The conceptual framework for the study is shaped by the concepts of student and community participation within the health promoting school (HPS) paradigm. Findings The findings help identify and portray different forms of community participation, ranging from a total absence of meaningful participation, though very limited, to consequential participation determined as community influence on the SFP practices to meet the community needs, priorities and systems of meanings. Research limitations/implications The study shows that the meaningful participation of the parents and community members in small rural schools in a low- to middle-income country such as Ecuador can be linked to an empowered stance towards the SFP so that it is better tuned to local conditions, priorities and systems of meaning. School leadership, geographical characteristics and internal community organization seem to influence how participation is valued and enacted. Challenges remain in the interpretations of community participation, including counter- and non-participation of members. Originality/value The study contributes to an understanding of policy implementation and the implications of a HPS approach to health education and health promotion in small rural schools.

scholarly journals Teaching health education

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Pickett ◽  
Willeke Rietdijk ◽  
Jenny Byrne ◽  
Jonathan Shepherd ◽  
Paul Roderick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

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.

A critical approach to trade-based money laundering

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin R.J. Soudijn
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traded Goods ◽  
True Value ◽  
Police Investigations ◽  
Financial Action Task

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to broaden the discussion on trade-based money laundering (TBML). The literature is too narrowly focused on the misrepresentation of the value, quantity or quality of the traded goods. This focus leads to the analysis of price anomalies as a signal of over- or under-invoicing. However, TBML can also occur without manipulation of these factors. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature and case study of police investigations. Findings – Financial action task force (FATF) definitions are seriously flawed. The question of whether detecting TBML on the basis of statistical trade data is effective should be much more open to debate. Police investigations show that goods are shipped at their true value within the context of TBML. Research limitations/implications – Using outliers to identify and act on cases of TBML has often been propagated, but scarcely been used to actually show TBML. Real findings are needed. Practical implications – Goods intended for TBML can also be paid for in cash. These cash payments are often out of character with the normal clientele. This should alert companies and compliance sections of banks alike. Originality/value – The critique on the FATF definition opens the field for a more fitting definition. The description of actual TBML cases makes it possible to better understand this method of money laundering.

scholarly journals How the information use environment influences search activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Rutter ◽  
Paul David Clough ◽  
Elaine G. Toms
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Search Process ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The information use environment (IUE) – the context within which the search activity takes place – is critical to understanding the search process as this will affect how the value of information is determined. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what factors influence search in English primary schools (children aged 4–11) and how information found is subsequently used. Design/methodology/approach Ten teachers, selected using maximal variation sampling, describe search-related activities within the classroom. The resulting interview data were analysed thematically for the influence of the environment on search and different information uses. The findings were then validated against three classroom observations. Findings 12 categories of information use were identified, and 5 aspects of the environment (the national curriculum, best practice, different skills of children and teachers, keeping children safe, and limited time and resource) combine to influence and shape search in this setting. Research limitations/implications Findings support the argument that it is the IUE that is the key influence of search activity. What makes children a distinct user group is linked to the environment within which they use information rather than age, as advocated in previous studies. Practical implications The features of search systems and practical guidance for teachers and children should be designed to support information use within the IUE. Originality/value As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study to consider the influence of the IUE on how search is enacted within primary schools.

scholarly journals Collaborations: providing emotional support to senior leaders

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Solvason ◽  
Alison Kington
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Significant Discovery

Purpose The purpose of this paper, based upon research carried out between a university and a Local Authority (LA) in the Midlands, UK, is to explore the phenomenon of head teachers working collaboratively across clusters of primary schools, or inter-collaboration. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was taken and the data collection methods co-constructed with the participants. Findings The head teachers were eager to share what they perceived as an overwhelmingly positive collaborative experience. The findings in this paper illustrate perhaps the most significant discovery, i.e. the role that the collaborative clusters can play in offering emotional support to those head teachers involved. Research limitations/implications This research was based within a specific LA, so the findings reflect the values manifested there. Quite different results may have been discovered in alternative contexts. Originality/value The personal, social and emotional needs of leaders are often overlooked in research whilst focussing upon the support that they offer to others. This paper explores the solitary role that headship can be and the function that supportive, collaborative clusters can provide in filling that emotional void.

The scale of school organizational culture in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1582-1595
Author(s):  
Burhanuddin Burhanuddin
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Cultural Construct ◽  
Complex Project

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a measurement model in order to investigate sorts of organizational cultures (OCs) existing in school organizations. Design/methodology/approach This study involved 300 teachers of Primary Schools in the Malang City, East Java Indonesia. It used a quantitative approach with structural equation modelling to develop a measurement model of school OC. To enable the measure of this variable to work, OC scale was constructed and validated employing a confirmatory factor analysis. Findings Results suggest items of the scale are conceptualized as unidimensional measure. The scale, thus, could be used to examine and properly identified types of OCs within a school setting. Research limitations/implications This study developed e-scale to measure OC within a school context. The measure was tested in referring to the data derived from a limited sample of primary school teachers in Malang City, Indonesia. Practical implications This study recommends that school principals are expected to create an OC to ensure the improvement of individual capacities is carried out effectively. Originality/value The investigation focused on a school OC as a complex project. Since not many research studies developed the scales to measure this specific cultural construct, the findings add to the theory in this area.

scholarly journals A confluence of evidence

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity Thomas ◽  
Peter Aggleton
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
International Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Whole School Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the evidence base to support whole school approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct a review of published evaluations and evidence syntheses across six areas in the international health-promoting schools literature. Findings – Although whole school approaches are often advocated in literature and policy on health-promoting schools, the evidence base for their effectiveness is partial and is often health topic specific. This paper reviews the evidence base across six different health-related areas, namely: sexual health; bullying; alcohol and drug use; mental health; school connectedness; and access to services. It identifies commonalities in learning, enabling a confluence of evidence on the factors central to the provision of effective health education and support within schools. Whilst findings endorse a whole school approach, they also suggest that some of the more subtle evidence-based principles on which such approaches are underpinned are not generally explicitly reflected in practice. Originality/value – The paper offers the first cross-topic synthesis of findings on health education effects and effectiveness in six health-related areas, to identify commonalities in learning. Findings contribute to the evidence base for the use of a whole school approach when undertaking health education in schools.

scholarly journals HMông Students’ Sources of Funds of Knowledge: A Case Study of Kinh Primary School Teachers’ Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Ha Thi Thanh Tran ◽  
Hung Thai Le
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Funds Of Knowledge ◽  
School Context ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Ethnic Minority Students ◽  
Hmong Students

Teachers working with ethnic minority students who have different language and cultural background from their own may have little knowledge of their students in out-of-school context. This lack of students’ knowledge and resources outside of the school may lead to deficit thinking regarding this non-dominated group as intellectually and academically deficient. Underachievement and low study engagement by HMông ethnic minority students in disadvantaged primary schools in Vietnam evidence a need for more effective teaching practices to support these minority students’ learning and reduce inequality within their educational environment. The funds of knowledge (FoK) approach attempts to overcome teachers’ perceptions of ethnic minority students and their knowledge through learning about these students’ FoK and incorporating these insights into the teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to explore how Kinh teachers identify HMông students’ sources of FoK in order to support their teaching/learning practices. This research employs qualitative educational research method together with case study method to examine the way Kinh primary teachers identify HMông students’ sources of FoK. The findings indicate that Kinh primary teachers identified HMông students’ different sources of FoK that the teachers could beneficially be drawing on to empowering HMông children’ participation, achievement and Kinh teachers’ teaching practices.

scholarly journals Produção e difusão de materiais educativos durante a pandemia da COVID-19: Experiências extensionistas na formação em saúde

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-373
Author(s):  
Thiago Inácio Teixeira do Carmo ◽  
Julia Beatrice Araujo ◽  
Izadora Czarnobai ◽  
Ana Gabrieli Sauer ◽  
Rafaela Schalanski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Women Victims ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Guidelines Implementation ◽  
Curriculum Guidelines ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
The University

Este artigo relata as ações extensionistas de produção e difusão de materiais educativos sobre o coronavírus desenvolvidas por estudantes de Enfermagem e Medicina durante a pandemia. As ações do projeto foram organizadas recorrendo às redes sociais Instagram e Facebook, com postagens semanais de boletins epidemiológicos e artigos científicos. Foram desenvolvidas cartilhas educativas sobre temas emergentes na pandemia, tais como aleitamento materno, cuidado a criança em idade escolar, população privada de liberdade e mulheres vítimas de violência doméstica. Os materiais também foram enviados por e-mail para estudantes, técnicos e docentes da Universidade. As métricas do Instagram mostram o alcance das ações em um número de seguidoras da população feminina, jovem e residente em Chapecó. A experiência relatada possibilitou aos estudantes a execução de atividades em consonância com as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais, desenvolvendo competências necessárias para atuação nas áreas da atenção, gestão e educação em saúde. Os acadêmicos puderam desenvolver habilidades comunicativas em saúde, apreender diferentes tecnologias digitais, melhorar o uso das línguas estrangeiras, conhecer o trabalho interprofissional, aprimorar a busca em base de dados internacionais e entender o raciocínio clínico epidemiológico. A efetivação das diretrizes nos currículos dos cursos da área da saúde é um desafio importante para a formação de profissionais voltados para a atuação e defesa do SUS. Portanto, é fundamental que a extensão seja desenvolvida dentro dos cursos da saúde, enquanto processo essencial para a formação e como produtora de cuidado nos locais onde está inserida. Palavras-chave: Educação em Saúde; Isolamento Social; Extensão Universitária; Redes Sociais Production and dissemination of educational materials during the COVID-19 pandemic: extension experiences in health education Abstract: This article reports the extension actions for the production and dissemination of educational materials on the coronavirus developed by Nursing and Medicine students during the pandemic. The project's actions were organized using Instagram and Facebook's social networks, with weekly posts of epidemiological bulletins and scientific articles. Educational booklets were developed on emerging themes in the pandemic, such as breastfeeding, care for school-age children, the population deprived of liberty, and women victims of domestic violence. The materials were also sent by email to students, technicians, and professors at the University. Instagram metrics show the reach of the actions in the number of followers of the female, young, and resident population in Chapecó (Santa Catarina State, Brazil). The experience reported enabled students to carry out activities in line with the National Curriculum Guidelines, developing the necessary skills to work in care, management, and health education. Students were able to develop communication skills in health, learn different digital technologies, improve the use of foreign languages, learn about interprofessional work, improve the search in international databases and understand the clinical and epidemiological reasoning. The guidelines implementation in the curricula of the health area is an important challenge for the training of professionals focused on the performance and defense of the SUS. Therefore, it is fundamental that extension is developed within health courses, as an essential process for training and as a producer of care in the places it is inserted. Keywords: Health Education; Social Isolation; University Extension; Social Media

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