RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of health education methods courses for pre-service elementary teachers has not been assessed for improving the pre-service elementary teacher's self-efficacy for using the professional teacher standards in health education (PTSHE). METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used to assess pre-service elementary teachers' self-efficacy toward using the PTSHE. Four institutions whose elementary education programs provide a health education methods course were recruited to participate in the study. Students were recruited to participate and they completed the Pre-service Health Education National Standards Self-efficacy (PHENSS) Scale at the beginning and end of the semester. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 15) software. RESULTS: A significant increase in the PHENSS Scale scores indicated that a 3-credit health education methods course could improve the pre-service elementary teacher's self-efficacy to use the national standards in their teaching of health education. Further analysis indicated statistically significant improvement of the participants' PHENSS scores in 2 of the 7 standards. CONCLUSION: Teacher self-efficacy can be a useful measure of the pre-service elementary teachers' ability to use the national standards for health education. The design of the methods course may affect the PHENSS scores.
Asunto(s)
Educación en Salud/normas , Autoeficacia , Enseñanza/normas , Niño , HumanosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Whereas many education programs expect students to use national standards in various content areas, few studies have been conducted that examine pre-service teachers' confidence in demonstrating their use of the professional teacher standards. PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was 2-fold: (1) To develop the Pre-service Health Education National Standards Self-efficacy (PHENSS) Scale; and (2) To establish the instrument's ability to draw inferences from PHENSS Scale scores. METHODS: The final instrument consisted of 29 items and 4 demographic items. Validation was established using qualitative and quantitative procedures. After the instrument had been validated, pre-service elementary education and pre-service secondary health education teachers were recruited to complete the instrument at 2 different times. RESULTS: Items were grouped to form 7 subscales (a subscale for each standard) and were analyzed to determine test-retest reliability and internal consistency. All scales were found to be statistically significant (p ≤ .05). Cronbach's alpha for the 7 subscales ranged from .73 to .96, and α = .94 for the entire instrument. CONCLUSION: The instrument, which assessed self-efficacy toward implementing Professional Teacher Standards in Health Education, was found to be both valid and reliable.
Asunto(s)
Docentes/normas , Educación en Salud/normas , Competencia Profesional/normas , Autoeficacia , Desarrollo de Personal/normas , Enseñanza/normas , Curriculum/normas , Femenino , Humanos , Capacitación en Servicio/normas , Masculino , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
This study examined decontamination and infection control procedures in general practice. Four primary care trusts participated with a response rate of 80 per cent. The study showed evidence of poor compliance with national standards and examples of unsafe practice.