ERIC Number: EJ1262373
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1935-3308
EISSN: N/A
Teachers' Strategies in Implementing Health Education Activities in Early Years Classrooms in Cape Coast (Ghana)
Obeng, Cecilia S.; Weinstein, Melissa A.; Hauser, Jessica R.
Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, v10 n4 p247-256 Sum 2016
Children in Sub-Saharan African nations are at high risk of under-nutrition, morbidity, and mortality. In order to improve health education for children, this study implemented a participatory educational research workshop highlighting the health of children for pre-school teachers to assist them in teaching the children. Qualitative method was utilized in this study. The study was completed in Cape Coast (Ghana) and its surrounding areas. The 21 research participants, who took part in the study, began the process by completing pre-assessment questions that covered the health activities that they were teaching. The questions asked after six months covered implementation of the activities learned and the barriers faced by participants. The results of the pre-assessment evaluation indicated that few teachers were teaching health education. The post-workshop evaluation completed after six months showed improvement in participants' knowledge on such health topics as nutrition, physical activity, personal health, environmental health, as well as social and emotional health. Barriers reported by teachers included lack of teaching materials. Teachers also reported that under-nutrition was a hindrance to effective teaching in their classrooms. Although participants indicated that they were implementing the workshop topics and the intervention was working, they would need appropriate resources to fully implement the health education activities learned at the workshop.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Health Education, Preschool Education, Preschool Teachers, Health Promotion, Barriers, Learning Activities, Workshops, Faculty Development, Knowledge Level, Instructional Materials, Nutrition, Intervention, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Physical Activity Level, Health Behavior, Mental Health, Culturally Relevant Education, Teacher Attitudes
Cedarville University. 251 North Main Street, Cedarville, OH 45314. Tel: 937-766-3242; Fax: 937-766-7971; e-mail: jeqr@comcast.net; Web site: http://www.jeqr.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A