Venka Simovska

Learning in and as Participation: A Case Study from Health-Promoting Schools

Drawing on theoretical discussion and the vitality of an empirically-based case study, this chapter documents, explores, and reflects on processes of learning about health through participation and action. The study is positioned within the democratic health-promoting schools tradition which emphasises a critical approach to the issue of student participation and the importance of taking action as part of learning about health. The chapter begins with discussion of the health-promoting schools initiative in Europe as exemplified by the European Network of the Health Promoting Schools, the position of the concept of participation within the frames of the health-promoting schools approach, and its implications for the ways we look at learning. Then, a model distinguishing two different qualities of participation, (token and genuine), is considered. The model builds on two complex sets of theoretical concepts – the democratic approach to health-promoting schools on the one hand, and the sociocultural perspective on learning on the other. The model is used as the main analytical framework in the case study. The findings from the case study are discussed in several sections, shedding light on the different processes of knowing in which students were involved. This includes illuminating the forms of peer collaboration and mutual interactions as well as the activity structures and forms of participation in which students were engaged, e.g. investigations, identifying problems, solution ideas, and taking action to bring about changes with respect to two overall health topics. At the end of the chapter, a few dilemmas and challenges for future research arising from the study are outlined.

Health-Promoting Changes with Children as Agents: Findings from a Multiple Case Study Research.

Purpose – With the aim of contributing to the evidence base on school‐based health promotion, the authors discuss the outcomes and processes of a European intervention project aiming to prevent obesity among children (4‐16 years) and promote their health and well‐being, titled Shape Up: a school‐community approach to influencing determinants of healthy and balanced growing up.Design/methodology/approach – Multiple case study research was carried out in five schools in five EU countries. Data sources included project documents, interviews, and observations. Narrative qualitative cross‐case analysis was carried out following the single case analyses.Findings – The study showed that, if given sufficient guidance, pupils can act as agents of health‐promoting changes on both school and local community level; they were involved in actions which improved school policies, provisions and affordances for healthier diet and regular physical activity. The study identified three forms of participation, each with a dif...

What do health‐promoting schools promote?

Purpose – The editorial aims to provide a brief overview of the individual contributions to the special issue, and a commentary positioning the contributions within research relating to the health‐promoting schools initiative in Europe.Design/methodology/approach – The members of the Schools for Health in Europe Research Group were invited to submit their work addressing processes and outcomes in school health promotion to this special issue of Health Education. Additionally, an open call for papers was published on the Health Education web site. Following the traditional double blind peer review process, nine submissions were accepted for publication. Five of these are selected to be published in this issue and the rest will be published in a future issue of the journal.Findings – The five articles in this issue take a comprehensive approach to health promotion in schools and reflect on the related processes and outcomes. Although diverse in focus and research methodology, the five contributions all emph...

Effects of student participation in school health promotion: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to summarize systematically the existing evidence for the effects of student participation in designing, planning, implementing and/or evaluating school health promotion measures. The focus was on the effects of participation in school health promotion measures rather than on student involvement at school in general. Participation is a core value for health promotion but empirical evidence of its outcomes is scarce. We searched major bibliographic databases (including ASSIA, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed and the Social Sciences Citation Index). Two reviewers independently decided about inclusion and exclusion of the identified abstracts (n = 5075) and full text articles. Of the 90 full text articles screened, 26 papers met the inclusion criteria. We identified evidence for positive effects, especially for the students themselves, the school as organization, and interactions and social relations at school. Almost all included studies showed personal effects on students referring to an increased satisfaction, motivation and ownership, an increase in skills, competencies and knowledge, personal development, health-related effects and influence on student perspective. Given that student participation has more been discussed as a value, or ideal of health promotion in schools, these findings documenting its effectiveness are important. However, further research is needed to consider the level or intensity of involvement, different approaches and stages of participation in the health promotion intervention, as well as mediating factors such as gender, socio-cultural background or academic achievement, in a more systematic manner.

Participation and Learning: Developing Perspectives on Education and the Environment, Health and Sustainability

Participation and Learning emerged out of a loose set of interests and events that have brought the collection’s contributors together at a series of formal conferences and informal workshops since 2003 as the Research in Participatory Education Network (RIPEN). RIPEN’s work proceeds from the view that current discourses on participatory approaches to education have become increasingly diverse and contested in both theoretical and practical terms, as assumptions and activities have been analysed and tested in general education as well as in the contributors’ fields of interest and expertise. While this has resulted in a range of tensions and challenges for practitioners and researchers, it is exactly in exploring and unravelling the methodological and pedagogical knots that have emerged, that we believe the potential value of participatory approaches to education is found. As noted in the Preface, the contributors to this collection are scholars, practitioners, and researchers who share a common interest in understanding what works in and as participatory education in both formal and lifelong learning settings. The book is grounded in wide-ranging discussions of the features and operations of various participatory approaches to education that focus on environmental, health,

Facilitation of school re-entry and peer acceptance of children with cancer: a review and meta-analysis of intervention studies.

Increased survival rates from childhood cancer call for efforts to reintegrate children with cancer back into their academic and social environments. The aims of this study were to: (1) review and analyse the existing literature on school re-entry interventions for children with cancer; and (2) discuss the importance of peer involvement in the treatment. Relevant databases were searched using equivalent search algorithms and six studies were selected that target children with cancer and/or their classmates. Two authors independently reviewed the literature for data extraction. The articles were reviewed using the PRISMA model for reporting reviews. Statistical calculations for the meta-analyses were done using Review Manager 5.2. The meta-analyses showed significant effects of school re-entry programmes in terms of enhancing academic achievement in children with cancer (P = 0.008) and lowering their levels of depression (P = 0.05). Increased knowledge among classmates was associated with less fear and a more positive attitude towards the child with cancer. Due to limited numbers of patients, lack of control groups, and the diversity of intervention strategies used in previous studies, there is a need for intervention programmes exploring the optimal path for the reintegration of children with cancer into the education system and into their peer groups.

Healthy eating and physical activity in schools in Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the HEPS project (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Schools) and discuss initial steps of the project implementation within EU countries. On the basis of the Health Promoting School approach as a conceptual foundation for the project, HEPS aimed at developing and implementing an effective tool for supporting the development of national policies on healthy eating and physical activity in schools across Europe. For this purpose, a package of publications (HEPS Toolkit) was produced and disseminated within the Schools for Health in Europe (SHE) network.Design/methodology/approach – An initial implementation survey was carried out with national coordinators of the SHE network (n=24).Findings – Results indicate that more than half of the respondents were familiar with and disseminated the HEPS Toolkit to relevant stakeholders at national, regional and local levels. However a number of problems and barriers in the implementation were encountered, such as...

Health promotion in Danish schools: local priorities, policies and practices

This article discusses the findings from a study mapping out the priorities, policies and practices of local authorities concerning health promotion (HP) and health education (HE) in primary and lower secondary schools in Denmark. The aim of the study was to identify the gaps, tensions and possibilities associated with the demand to increase the quality and effectiveness of HP in schools. The recent national school reform, which emphasizes the importance of health and well-being while simultaneously increasing the focus on performance and accountability in terms of subject proficiency and narrowly defined academic attainment, provides the broader political context for the study. Data were generated through a structured online survey administered to all 98 Danish municipalities. Respondents were educational consultants or others representing the administrative units responsible for the municipalitys schools. The findings were discussed within the conceptual framework of Health Promoting Schools. The study points to a potential tension between the health and education sectors, despite evidence of intersectoral collaboration. While there is a strong policy focus on health and well-being in schools, it is disconnected from the utilization of the HE curriculum by the municipal consultants. The study also points to a lack of professional development opportunities for teachers in the field of HP in schools. On the basis of these findings and theoretical perspectives used, we argue that HP in schools needs to (re)connect with the core task of the school, education, and to integrate both health and education goals in local priorities, policies and practices.

On‐line learning environments and participatory health education: teachers’ reflections

This study examines teachers’ experiences with and opinions on a web‐based, cross‐cultural project. Students from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Macedonia, and Sweden used information and communication technology and international collaboration to explore the links among youth, culture, and the use of alcohol. The data was generated through interviews with the teachers co‐ordinating the project in each of the classes. The teachers’ experiences with the approach as a whole led them to emphasize that the action‐oriented and participatory approach, combined with the use of information and communication technology and international collaboration, brought new, valuable perspectives to their own teaching and to their reflections about emerging new roles and teaching skills needed. The provisions for genuine student participation, authenticity in learning, intrinsic motivation, and the sense of the other were identified by the teachers as the main strengths of the approach.

Sexuality education in different contexts: limitations and possibilities

Purpose – Sexuality education is a controversial and contested issue that has evoked wide debate on the question of its aims, contents, methods, pedagogy and desired outcomes. This editorial aims to provide a brief commentary, positioning the contributions to this Special Issue of Health Education within the research landscape concerning sexuality education in schools internationally. Design/methodology/approach – The idea for this Special Issue was born in Odense, Denmark, in October 2012, during the 4th European Conference of Health Promoting Schools. The Conference Programme and the debates during the sessions demonstrated the need for a wider discussion of sexuality education, particularly within the framework of the health-promoting school. There was recognition of the need to endorse positive and wide socio-ecological views of health, including sexual health and a critical educational approach to sexuality education. The conference delegates and the members of the Schools for Health in Europe Resear...