PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES OF TEACHERS IN HEALTH EDUCATION: CHANGES DUE TO THE EPIDEMIC SITUATION

A járványhelyzet okozta változások

Abstract

One of the tasks of public educational institutions is to promote the implementation of a healthy lifestyle habits ( Járomi - Vitrai 2017). The aim of our research is to present the changes caused by COVID19 in the field of school health education. In interviews with high school teachers (n = 15) and students (n = 5), we examined health education practice, focusing on the pre-pandemic and current situation. The majority of the physical educators and health teachers interviewed continued to engage in health education activities during the pandemic, but considered their work to be less effective during this time. The other specialist teachers focused on the issue of health education in only a few cases during the epidemic. Both teachers and students judged the general health behaviors of young people to be unfavorable, which was exacerbated by the current epidemic situation. While there was no significant change in the students during the first and second waves of the epidemic, several educators began to make significant lifestyle changes. The application of the methodological diversity of health education was clearly hampered by the epidemic situation. In particular, teacher role models and various personal challenge tasks proved to be motivating for students. The mapping and collection of good practices related to health education is also necessary due to the emergence of a persistent epidemic situation.