How school-based health education can help young people navigate an uncertain world

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Dixon ◽  
Jenny Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
School Based ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has provided us a striking demonstration that the future is dynamic, unpredictable, complex and volatile. It is increasingly important that those working in the field of school-based health education reimagine the possibilities and potential of the subject to rise to the challenges presented and make a difference in learners' worlds. In this paper we explore the potential of health education learning to contribute to aspects of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) Learning Compass 2030 from our perspective in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a learning framework that uses the metaphor of navigation to demonstrate the competencies young people need in order to thrive in the world and has a significant focus on wellbeing for people and society (OECD, 2019).Design/methodology/approachWe explore the links between the learning compass and a socio-critical approach to secondary school-based health education learning opportunities by producing and refining our own knowledge of the learning contexts and experiences that could potentially contribute to the elements of compass. We present this as dialogue produced through asynchronous online conversations between the paper's two authors across a three-month period in 2020 – a method befitting our COVID-19 times.FindingsAfter employing a deductive thematic analysis we found extensive links between health education learning and aspects of the compass which are congruent with the notion that it is more about how the subject is taught than what is covered in a socio-critical health education. We communicate our findings by organising them into three themes that arose for us in analysis: learners' capability to understand the world, navigate the world and change the world.Originality/valueWe conclude the paper with key questions to consider if we are to reimagine school-based health education in order for learning experiences in the subject to enrich learners' understanding of how to navigate the complex and uncertain times they will face across their lives.

Putting assemblage to work to explore pedagogical practices in health education in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-188
Author(s):  
Rachael Dixon ◽  
Gillian Abel ◽  
Lisette Burrows
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Senior Secondary

PurposeIn Aotearoa New Zealand, Health Education is socio-critical in orientation and is offered as a subject that can offer credits towards the national secondary school qualification. The purpose of this paper is to explore the learning experiences of people who studied Health Education to the final level of secondary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand. The authors focus specifically on how the subject is taught; or the pedagogical practices that are “put to work” in the Health Education learning environment.Design/methodology/approachUsing in-depth interviews as the authors’ method of data production, they experiment with a post-qualitative approach to analysis while traversing the theoretical terrain of new materialism. In doing so, they explicate the non-human and human elements that are arranged in a pedagogical assemblage – and explore what these elements can do.FindingsThe authors found that an array of pedagogical practices were put to work in the senior secondary school Health Education classroom: Student-centred approaches, a non-judgemental and energetic tone to teaching, deployment of human and non-human resources, and students connecting with the community. The authors argue that these practices open up possibilities for a critical Health Education.Practical implicationsThis research addresses an empirical gap in the literature by focusing on Health Education in the senior secondary levels of schooling. The findings in this paper may provide readers who are Health Education teachers with ideas that could be of material use to them in their teaching practice. In terms of implications for researchers, the authors demonstrate how putting “new” theory and methodological approaches to work in the area of school-based Health Education can produce novel ways of thinking about the subject and what it can do.Originality/valueThe shifting nature of the pedagogical assemblage can ignite new ways of thinking about teaching practice in the Health Education classroom and the capacities that result for learners. In combination with a post-qualitative approach to analysis, the paper provides a novel approach to exploring Health Education.

In search of the socially critical in health education

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Wright ◽  
Gabrielle O’Flynn ◽  
Rosie Welch
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Physical Education ◽  
Inquiry Approach ◽  
Conditions Of Possibility ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Health education still tends to be dominated by an approach designed to achieve individual behaviour change through the provision of knowledge to avoid risk. In contrast, a critical inquiry approach educates children and young people to develop their capacity to engage critically with knowledge, through reasoning, problem solving and challenging taken for granted assumptions, including the socially critical approach which investigates the impact of social and economic inequalities on, for example, health status and cultural understandings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the conditions of possibility for a socially critical approach to health education in schools. It examines the ways in which preservice health and physical education (HPE) teachers talked about their experiences of health education during their school-based practicum. Design/methodology/approach In total, 13 preservice HPE teachers who were about to graduate with a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education from a university in New South Wales, Australia were interviewed for the study. Five group interviews and one individual interview were conducted. The interviews were coded for themes and interpreted drawing on a biopedagogical theoretical framework as a way of understanding the salience of particular forms of knowledge in health education, how these are promoted and with what effects for how living healthily is understood. Findings The HPETE students talked with some certainty about the purpose of health education as a means to improve the health of young people – a certainty afforded by a medico-scientific view of health imbued with individualised, risk discourses. This purpose was seen as being achieved through using pedagogies, particularly those involving technology, that produced learning activities that were “engaging” and “relevant” for young people. Largely absent from their talk was evidence that they valued or practiced a socially critical approach to health education. Practical implications This paper has practical implications for designing health education teacher programmes that are responsive to expectations that contemporary school health education curricula employ a critical inquiry approach. Originality/value This paper addresses an empirical gap in the literature on the conditions of possibility for a socially critical approach to health education. It is proposed that rather than challenging HPE preservice teachers’ desires to improve the lives of young people, teacher educators need to work more explicitly within an educative approach that considers social contexts, health inequalities and the limitations of a behaviour change model.

Health education for deaf Romanian children: parents’ opinions

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 341-349
Author(s):  
Laura Ionescu ◽  
Lacramioara Ursache ◽  
Adelina Nicolae ◽  
Adriana Conea ◽  
Cristian Potora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
School Health ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North West ◽  
School Based ◽  
School Health Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on parents of children with hearing disabilities from Romania and has three objectives. First, it assesses their characteristics regarding use of communication technology. Second, it investigates their opinions regarding the importance of school-based education for healthy lifestyle promotion among their children. Third, it evaluates the availability for their involvement in educational activities using face-to-face approach and communication technology dedicated to helping parents to promote healthy lifestyle among their children, as well as factors which influence this availability. Design/methodology/approach The study was performed in October–November 2015 in two schools deserving children with hearing disabilities from North-West part of Romania. Anonymous questionnaire were filled in by 182 parents. Findings The majority of parents recognize the importance of school-based health education and more than 77 per cent totally agree that it should include issues regarding healthy nutrition, promotion of physical activity and smoking prevention. In total, 80.2 per cent of the parents declared that they are interested to participate in educational activities organized periodically at school and 66.5 per cent declared their interest in educational activities developed through communication technology in order to help them to stimulate the adoption of healthy lifestyle among their children. The availability was influenced by residence, educational level, understanding the importance of parents’ involvement, characteristics regarding the use of communication technology. Originality/value This represents the first study from Romania investigating the opinions and availability for their involvement with regard to school health education among parents of children with hearing deficiencies. The results have several implications for health education among children with hearing deficiencies and their parents.

“It's been a good time to reflect on…who isn't worth keeping around”: COVID-19, adolescent relationship maintenance and implications for health education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna Goldstein ◽  
Sarah Flicker
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Good Time ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adolescent Relationships ◽  
Unique Experience ◽  
Demographic Surveys ◽  
Adolescent Relationship

PurposeThis paper adds to the growing body of research examining the impacts of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on the everyday lives of young people. It draws on theories of “digital intimacies” and “relationship maintenance” to argue that young people’s reflections on COVID-19, physical distancing and online relationships expose larger gaps in sex, relationships and health education pedagogies.Design/methodology/approachFive semi-structured online focus groups were conducted with Canadian adolescents aged 16–19 probing their experiences of dating and platonic relationships during COVID-19. Narrative thematic analysis methods were used to develop themes outlining how physical distancing measures have affected young people’s relationship norms, expectations and values.FindingsCOVID-19 physical distancing measures and school closures appeared to create the conditions for some young people to productively reflect on the labor involved in the maintenance of their relationships in relation to considerations of proximity, reciprocity and distance. This labor was particularly articulated by female participants, many of whom expressed that life disruptions caused by COVID-19 catalyzed learning about their own relationship needs, desires and boundaries.Research limitations/implicationsResults from this research are not widely generalizable, as each participant had a unique experience with COVID-19 physical distancing measures, schooling and in-person contact. Due to anonymity measures implemented, participant narratives cannot be confidently associated with demographic surveys that hampered the ability to offer an intersectional analysis of participant experience.Originality/valueDiscussions of relationship maintenance and digital intimacies elucidate the limitations of health education’s tendency to construct adolescent relationships as existing along binaries of “healthy” and “unhealthy.” Health education might benefit from more meaningful integration of these concepts.

Teacher Preparation for Physical Education in an Increasingly Sedentary World in Singapore

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Chia ◽  
Koh Koon Teck
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Holistic Health ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Tight Coupling ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject

The Second World-Wide Survey of Physical Education in schools, published under the auspices of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, identifies large gaps between the promise of positive outcomes of physical education and actual outcomes. The mismatch between the policy and practice of physical education stems from deep-seated disagreements about what the goals of physical education should be; the multifaceted nature of the subject; and a lack of competence, confidence, and accountability among the teachers who are responsible for teaching physical education in schools, among other things. According to the World Health Organization, the physical and holistic health of young people and adults is threatened by increases in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers—in part due to increased sedentary modern lifestyles and insufficient exercise. Physical education has the potential to ameliorate the negative impact of sedentary lifestyles and exercise insufficiency. Teacher-education programs for physical education the world over advertise that teachers of the subject help young people acquire a love for physical activity and the skills to practice and enjoy sports; they also teach life skills, including teamwork, sportsmanship, problem-solving, and creativity, and help students develop the habits of a healthy lifestyle. How programs prepare physical-education teachers to deliver on these promises varies considerably. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Singapore has one of the best-performing teacher-education systems in the world. It is run by the National Institute of Education in Singapore. The tight coupling of theory and practice and the tripartite relationship between the policymakers at the Ministry of Education; the National Institute of Education, where teacher training occurs; and the schools, where physical education is experienced, are the key determinants of a quality physical-education experience among children and adolescents in Singapore.

IDEAS ABOUT PROFESSIONS OF THIRD-GRADE STUDENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL BASED ON OWN RESEARCH

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 123-136
Author(s):  
Beata Matusek
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Third Grade ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Professional Work ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Based ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject

The presented publication is the result of qualitative research on the ideas of professions carried out among third-grade students of primary school. The subject is of interest to researchers all over the world. The aim of the research was to check how third-grade students imagine professional work in general and how they imagine the work of people in particular occupations. The main problem that included specific problems was the question: What are the ideas of the professions of third-year primary school students? The research results show a positive image of professional work of third-grade students. They are able to identify their own interests, see the practical side of their professional work (obtaining the means necessary for living), understand the work as a service to other people (they associate the profession with the responsible work of a firefighter, policeman, teacher, doctor, secretary),they also have general knowledge about the work of their parents, correctly associate objects (props) with professions, know the names of the professions and they are able to indicate the features of a good and bad employee. The publication is supplemented with works by third-grade students presenting work in various professions.

School-based drug education: the shaping of subjectivities

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cary Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Drug Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Political Dimensions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how school-based drug education programmes in Australia have sought to reduce adolescent drug use. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on insights from Foucault's later works and writers on governmentality, the paper considers how, through the use of various technologies, techniques and strategies, students have been encouraged to problematise their understanding of self by way of a series of choices they are required to make in relation to recreational drug use. Findings – Drugs are positioned as a key factor in the psychic and social well-being of youths insofar as their health and personal happiness is said to depend on the decisions they make concerning their use of drugs. In the process, moral and political objectives are met as students internalise norms, values and objectives consonant with a self-disciplined, self-governing society. Practical implications – By bringing into question school-based drug education, a space is created for further discussions around this historically controversial strategy. Social implications – What is common to all school-based drug education programmes is that the problem is conceptualised in terms of individual and interpersonal deficiencies or inadequacies. Conceptualised thus, both the problem and the solution lay with the individual; it is the individual who must change. Originality/value – The focus of this paper has not been on why school-based drug education is needed or how to improve it (the focus of most research on the subject), but rather on the methods employed to influence student use of recreational drugs. By identifying how school-based drug education has sought to shape student subjectivities, this paper has exposed specific moral and political dimensions of the project.

scholarly journals Rodzina i miłość w epoce Ja. Wyzwania dla pedagogiki

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirosława Ściupider-Młodkowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Theoretical Part ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

The theoretical part of this article draws on terminology defined by theorists such as J. C. Kauffman,N. Luhmannn, Ch. Lasch, E. Beck-Gernsheim, U. Beck, A. Giddens, L. Jamienson, E. Illouz,and Z. Bauman. The research on partnership relations in the narcissistic culture are published in thebook by the article author: Ściupider-Młodkowska M., Love in the time of Me. A socio-pedagogical study,Poznań 2018. The fight for an approval and innovatory ideas for a happy partnership life (which hasbeen observed in my research on biographies of relationships) does not entirely come from “free”choices. Therefore, we may conclude that to some extent the culture of narcissism has an impact ona quality of relationships and relations between people in general. In the wider context, the articletries to provide an answer to the question of transgression of common responsibility for a success ora failure in relations between people. Interpersonal contacts are increasingly controlled or created bythe market as well as the world of technicization. As a result, their character is changed into shorttermrelations where only an Ego of individuals is promoted and general narcissism culture is spread.Pedagogues are concerned about building identity of young people mostly in social media accordingto the phrase Selfie ergo sum. Pedagogy cannot ignore the influence of media on the social developmentof teenagers (which includes their sexual development, too). To prevent the acquisition of negativepatterns, an educational program needs to be proposed which will teach a critical approach to socialmedia and help build sustained interpersonal relations.

scholarly journals “We are different, that’s a fact, but they treat us like we’re different-er”: Understandings of autism and adolescent identity development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Mesa ◽  
Lorna G. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Adolescent Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opting Out ◽  
School Based ◽  
Adolescent Identity Development

Purpose A key development in early adolescence is the active construction of individual identity; for autistic young people, integrating the idea of “being autistic” forms part of this process. The purpose of this paper is to explore identity development from a contextualist perspective, foregrounding young people’s experiences within mainstream educational settings. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal, qualitative methodology was used: semi-structured interviews were conducted annually with 14 autistic young people, their parents and teachers between school years 6 and 9. Findings Young people felt different from their neurotypical peers and their acceptance of their diagnosis changed over time as they managed their developing personal and public identities. In pursuit of being treated “normally,” many camouflaged their differences at school, which sometimes involved opting out of school-based support. Adults described their own understandings of autism and discussed the responses of others in the school environment to autistic differences. Originality/value The influence of sociocultural discourses of autism on young people’s identity development is discussed and implications for both school based and post-diagnostic support for young people and their families explored.

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