“The monster of the month”: teachers’ views about alcohol within personal, social, health, and economic education (PSHE) in schools

Abstract

PurposeThere is a lack of evidence for effective school-based prevention programmes to reduce alcohol misuse in adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to explore teacher’s views about alcohol education in secondary schools in order to inform the subsequent development of new educational and intervention measures.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with nine female teachers from a range of schools who had responsibility for designing and delivering personal social, health, and economic education (PSHE).FindingsThree main themes were identified in a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. The themes demonstrated the importance of PSHE to these teachers, who faced challenges in delivering a comprehensive enough curriculum. Alcohol unit knowledge and responsible drinking were priorities for the teachers. However, given the many pressures faced by young people, alcohol could be viewed as just one challenge amongst many.Research limitations/implicationsInterventions may be seen as too compartmentalised by teachers if they fail to address the wider concerns of adolescents. Intervention developers should consider gaining input from teachers on the content of their programmes prior to running a trial to enhance feasibility and acceptability.Originality/valueThere are few studies that have explored what teachers think about alcohol education in general or about the content of specific interventions prior to their implementation. This study adds their voice to the literature and highlights the importance of considering the views and first hand experiences when developing new alcohol interventions aimed at adolescents.