The Whole School Approach and Professional Competencies in School Health Promotion

Author(s):

Monica Carlsson(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

08. Research on Health Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

08 SES 03, Professional Development in Health Education

Paper session

Time:

2014-09-02

17:15-18:45

Room:

B101 Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Maria Teresa Machado Vilaça

Contribution

Whereas there has been a fair amount of focus in research and practice on health outcomes in school health promotion and on experiences with implementing different models and approaches, the professional competencies needed for supporting this development is under-researched. This study seeks to articulate core competency domains and key competencies elements in school health promotion that are consistent with the principles in the whole school approach to school health promotion.

This research objective presupposes that a more fundamental question on the ‘why’ or ‘what for’ is discussed: ‘Does school health promotion require professional competencies?’ One could argue that practitioners through their pre-service training develop general competencies that easily can be applied and developed in relation to school health promotion. However, in most countries, health education is only offered as an elective course in teacher education. Research on the implementation of health education and health promotion in schools indicate that although key stakeholders indicate a commitment to this, and policy and strategies are developed, the development of professional practice is slow (Jourdan et al. 2008; Nordin et al. 2014).

The whole school approach to health promotion has been defined as an approach ‘which goes beyond the learning and teaching in the classroom to pervade all aspects of the life of a school’ (IUHP 2010), and health promotion in a school setting as ‘any structured and planned activity undertaken to improve and/or protect the health of all school users’ (Young, Leger and Blanchard, undated), emphasizing health promotion principals of equality and inclusion. With the development of theory and practice in school health promotion, different conceptualizations and models of the whole school approach and the settings-based approach are offered in the literature (see e.g. Clift and Jensen 2006; Whitelaw 2001), and a discussion of the different conceptualizations and models is therefore called for.

A professional is able to solve complex problems, where decisions are based on an assessment of the situation, and the context that this is embedded in (Eraut 2004). Ellström and Kock (1996) refer to professional competencies, when defining competencies as the individual’s potential preparedness to act in relation to a task, situation or work. The competencies term in IUHPs project, “Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion Capacity Building in Europe”, is defined as “a combination of the essential knowledge, abilities, skills and values necessary for the practice of health promotion” (Dempsey et al. 2011:3). The project includes a comprehensive review of the international and European literature on the development of competencies frameworks for health promotion (Dempsey et al. 2010). Although it is a generic competency framework, covering many different professions, fields and contexts, these competencies formulations will also be discussed in the paper.

As Battel-Kirk et al. (2009) points out, formulation of competencies in health promotion is useful, since it can contribute to an establishment of a common language concerning skills and knowledge demanded in practice. The criticism of a competency approach argues that it is based on an engineering (or a mechanistic) model of education, with a tendency to undervalue professional judgment and experience, and disregard values and principles (Elliot 2004, Biesta 2010). If we acknowledge the pitfalls of a competency approach, a further development in the conceptualization and discussion of professional competencies in school health promotion can guide a development of professional practice.

Method

The discussion of the different conceptualizations of and models in the whole school approach, and of the concepts on professional competencies in school health promotion is based on a review of literature. The literature review includes publications that specifically address these concepts and models, implementation studies in school health promotion, and case study literature on experiences from working with different models in whole school approaches to school health promotion. The review of literature will furthermore draw on some of the publications in the CompHP-project’s review, and the competency framework. The review is guided by the following questions: Which different concepts of professional competencies does the literature in the field of health promotion and school health promotion offer? Which different conceptualizations of and models in the whole school approach can be identified? What is in focus and what is left out in the conceptualizations? In the discussion of the different conceptualizations and models of the whole school approach, and the different conceptualization of professional competencies in school health promotion, the study is inspired by Porter’s (2007) analytical distinction between technocracy and socio-ecology in health promotion policy. The first applies to technical discourses, while the second covers discourses emphasizing diversity (e.g. people having ‘differing interests’, and ‘coming from all walks of life’), and interdependence. The term socio-ecology refers to the socio-ecological approach advocated in the Ottawa Charter, which emphasizes the inextricable links between people and their environment. On the basis of this core competency domains and key competence elements in school health promotion are formulated, and potential strengths and weaknesses in relation to using this framework in practice discussed. The formulations of the competency domains and key competence elements draw on Barnett and Coates (2005) distinction between three basic competence dimensions: ‘knowing’ (knowledge and insight), ‘acting’ (to acting out and conducting certain skills) and ‘being’ (personal and social competence aspects, e.g. development of professional identity).

Expected Outcomes

The preliminary results of the review indicates that although the literature doesn’t seem to offer specific concepts on professional competencies in school health promotion, a number of implementation studies and case studies offers reflections on professionals’ knowledge, skills and commitment. References to both technical and and socio-ecological discourses where made in the literature on school health promotion. The same movement that has been identified in health promotion literature in general (see e.g. Robertson and Minkler 1994), was identified here, with a shift from the socio-ecological discourse of Ottawa Charter, emphasizing respect for diversity and addressing inequalities and social injustice, to a more technocratic and technical discourse emphasizing efficiency, management and accountability. In relation to the formulation of the core competency domains and key competence elements in school health promotion two main development pathways in school health promotion are outlined: policy- and organizational development, respectively development of teaching and learning. In the preliminary formulation of domains and competencies, six core competency domains and a number of key competence elements are formulated and discussed. The core competency domains in relation to policy- and organizational development are: •Policy-development (e.g. knowledge of how aims and issues related to health can be related to aims and issues in education). •Cultural change: (e.g. skills related to dealing with different rationales and values in the school). •Organizational development (e.g. abilities to evaluate different strategies in health promotion). And in relation to development of teaching and learning the core competency domains are: •Development of learning processes and content: (e.g. knowledge about learning processes focusing on action and participation). •Development of collaboration and new learning arenas: (e.g. skills in establishing and facilitating collaboration between actors in and outside schools). •Development of dialogue and assessments in professional groups: (e.g. abilities in understanding others perspectives).

References

Barnett, R. & Coates, K. (2005): Engaging the curriculum in higher education. Berkshire: Society for research into Higher Education and Open University Press. Battel-Kirk, B.; Barry, MM.; Taub, A. & Lysoby, L. (2009): A review of the international literature on health promotion competencies: identifying frameworks and core competencies. Global Health Promotion 16:12. Carlsson, M. (in print) Professional competences in school health promotion – between standards and professional practice. I: Simovska, V. & McNamara P. (eds.) Schools for Health and Sustainability - Theory, Research and Practice. Springer. Carlsson, M. (in review): Professional competencies in relation to school health promotion. In: Simovska, V.; Jensen, JM.; Broström, S.; Pedersen, U. (eds.): Health education and health promotion in daycare and schools. Dafolo. Cph. Clift, S. & Jensen, B.B. (eds.) (2005): The health promoting school: international advances in theory, evaluation and practice. DK: Danish University of Education Press. Dempsey, C.; Battel-Kirk, B. & Barry, M.M. (2011): The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion Handbook. Short version. Paris: (IUHPE). Ellström, P.‐E. & Kock, H. (2009): Competence development in the workplace: concepts, strategies, and effects. In Illeris, K. (ed.) International Perspectives on Competence Development. London: Routledge. Eraut, M. (2004): Practice-based evidence. I: Thomas, G. & Pring, R. (eds.) Evidence-based practice in education, Open University Press International Union for Health Promotion and Education (2010): Promoting Health in Schools: From evidence to Action. IUHP. Jourdan D., Mannix Mc Namara P., Simar C., Geary T. & Pommier J. (2010) Factors Influencing Staff Contribution to Health Education in Schools. Health Education Research, Mar 5: p. 519-530. Online : http://her.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/4/519.abstract [retrieved on 16/10/2009] Jourdan, D. (2011): Health education in schools. The challenge of teacher training. Saint-Denis : Inpes, coll. Santé en action. Nordin, LL., Madsen, KD. Andersen, TT. & Simovska, V. (2014): RESEARCH IN SCHOOLS FOR HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY WORKING PAPER NR 3/2014. Department of Education, Aarhus Universitet. Robertson, M., and Minkler M. (1994). New Health Promotion Movement: A Critical Examination. Health Educ Behav 21, 295-312. Young, I; St Leger, L. & Blanchard, C. (undated): MONITORING AND ASSESSING PROGRESS IN HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOLS: ISSUES FOR POLICY MAKERS TO CONSIDER. IUHP. Whitelaw, S. et al. (2001): ’Settings’ based health promotion: a review. I: Health Promotion International, vol. 15, No. 4, s. 339-353.

Author Information

Monica Carlsson (presenting / submitting)

Aarhus University, Denmark

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