Explaining the Experience of Health Education and Training Professionals to Evaluate the Methods and Effectiveness of Health Education among Elementary School Students

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Evaluation methods of health education are part of education program for all students. Evaluating health education curricula should show essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to explain the experiences of education specialists and health education experts to test health education in elementary school. Material and Methods: Qualitative methods used in this study. It based on an interpretive model and it was also implemented using a phenomenological approach. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with 15 health education experts who met the inclusion criteria. Colaizzi method used to analyze the interview data. Results: Findings consist of one main class "Evaluation of Health Education Knowledge and Health Promotion" and thirty subclasses "Written exams, conferences, doing classroom assignments correctly, class participation, practical assessment, classroom questions, evaluation of classroom activities, evaluation outside of the classroom, Peer to peer evaluation, self-evaluation, academic record, recording important events of students’ performance, personal and group testing and etc. Conclusion: Studying the experiences of health education experts and evaluating health education showed that observation of children's behavior change over time is an effective methods of health education assessment in elementary school. Therefore, planning and prioritizing the proper formulation and implementation of health education evaluation curricula should focus on changing children's behavior over time.