Abstract

Background: Elementary classroom teachers must overcome a number of instructional barriers, including time constraints and professional preparation, if they are to deliver effective health education and enhance health literacy among youth. Purpose: This study examined the direct impact of a long-term professional development program on integrating health education and literacy instruction on third-grade teachers' confidence and practice and its indirect effect on student learning. Methods: Data on confidence and implementation of instructional and assessment practices were collected from 16 teachers. Students (n=99) from their classrooms and from four comparison classrooms (n=101) completed pre- and post-program constructed response assessment. Results: Significant increases were seen in teachers' confidence in describing health education standards, determining if students achieved the standards and using rubrics to guide scoring practices. Children's books were used to integrate instruction and most teachers increased the time spent on integration activities. Students in their classrooms scored significantly higher than students in comparison classrooms on health knowledge and skills. Discussion: These results confirm our belief that by increasing awareness and understanding of standards-based health education and assessment, and by showing teachers how they can use children's books as the context for teaching and reinforcing health concepts and skills outlined in the standards, their confidence about teaching health can increase. Translation to Health Education Practice: Integrating health and language arts instruction may be the key to overcoming some of the factors teachers report as barriers to teaching health education.

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