The Effects of Health Education Classes on Teaching Self-Efficacy in Preservice Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher preparation and health teaching self-efficacy in elementary and secondary preservice teachers. As expected, students felt most comfortable teaching topics that were covered in the particular health class in which they were enrolled, and less comfortable teaching topics that represented material from another class. Students enrolled in either the Comprehensive School Health Education course or School Health Education course were more likely to believe that they had the ability to impact their students' subsequent behavior in 11 out of 14 different health areas than students in other classes. Health minors felt more prepared to teach most health topics than other majors/minors. What is disconcerting, however, was that elementary education majors and minors scored lower than other secondary education majors and minors in their perceived ability to teach health. The importance of health issues in the elementary school curriculum, coupled with the fact that most elementary health education is taught by classroom teachers, implies that curricular revision is imperative.