THEORETICAL APPROACH TO SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION THROUGH DOCUMENT ANALYSIS OF HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Abstract

In the field of school health education, many domestic and international researches have shown that positive behavioral change cannot be achieved through the transmission of knowledge alone, so health education should be seen as a complex process. In Hungary, the basic document of schools is the Pedagogical Program, an integral part of which is the Health Education Program, a chapter containing the tasks of activities aimed at improving health defined by the school. Our research aims to examine the objectives, activities, methods and actors of secondary schools related to health education in the light of the Health Education Programs. During the stratified sampling, six secondary schools were included in the sample, for which we analyzed the Health Education Programs. In determining the strata, the central educational principle named in the Pedagogical Program of the schools was an aspect, so we examined ecclesiastical, bilingual, sports, art, vocational and practice schools. We found that form and durability characteristics were not consistent in all cases. The holistic concept of health is included in the curricula of only two schools. In the case of two schools, we can talk about a school-specific health education program that reflects the characteristics of the students. Each of the Programs included an objective focusing on physical activity and avoiding harmful passions, with activity focusing on mental health and social relationships being the least common. School health education is effective when it also involves parents, however, only two schools mention the active participation and role of parents and communication channels in their Program. Two schools view health education as an “interdisciplinary subject,” which is the responsibility of each educator, with the help of health workers and professionals. Another research goal is to examine the practice of school health education and to explore the consistency between theory and practice.