Research Showcase Mary Immaculate College, 3 rd September
2013
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SPHE (Primary) 1999 SPHE (Post-Primary) 2000
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Rationale for SPHE Current Context Research Findings
Recommendations
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26% of 9-year olds have a raised BMI (Growing Up in Ireland,
2012) Increased incidence of mental health problems among young
people (UNICEF, Ireland, 2011) 23% of 9-16 year olds have
experienced bullying, either online or offline. (ONeill and Dinh,
2013) Age of first sexual encounters has dropped (Mayock et al,
2007) High rates of alcohol consumption among adolescents (although
this is decreasing) (ESPAD, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011).
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SPHE is very important because it covers loads of subjects and
it teaches you loads about life. We learn more about other people
and what happens when we grow up. It allows us to be different. It
helps us to have better relationships, better friends and to be
yourself. It helps us to make decisions and realise the
consequences. It helps us to take care of ourselves and to know
what to do (DES, 2009).
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I would like to know more about emotional health especially
before my exams I would like to learn more about stress and what
happens [SPHE could be used] to focus on making important
decisions, for example, if you thought a classmate was unhappyand
how you would deal with this sort of situation (OHiggins et al,
2007)
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an effective school health programme can be one of the most
cost effective investments a nation can make to simultaneously
improve education and health
(www.who.int/school_youth_health/en/)www.who.int/school_youth_health/en/
School health programmes are promoted as a strategic means to
prevent important health risks among youth and to engage the
education sector in efforts to change the educational, social,
economic and political conditions that affect risk (ibid)
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Increased focus on Literacy and Numeracy Time allocation Not
formalised at Senior Cycle Not an exam subject Sensitive nature of
material Teacher confidence and capacity
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In most education systems there has been relative neglect of
health education when compared with more traditional academic
education (Fullan, 2001) Debate in Germany in relation to
educational reform is notably lacking in references to health
promotion (Paulus, 2005) In France, it has been found that schools
set a low priority on health education (Do & Alluin, 2002,
cited by Jourdan et al, 2011). School Health Policy and Practice
Study (USA) demonstrated that while there were positive
developments in relation to the recognition of health education at
state and district level, this did not necessarily translate into
implementation (Kann L, Brener ND, Wechsler H., 2007) Concrete
action in schools difficult to initiate (Norway)(Samdal, 1999).
Impact of local context: choices made by schools and students
(Samdal, 1999; Tjomsland et al., 2009).
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Undertaken with pre-service primary school teachers (2012)
Extension of similar project undertaken with pre-service
post-primary teachers in 2010 and presented in 2012 (Mannix
McNamara et al, 2012)
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Theory of Planned Behaviour
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Mixed-methods approach: survey and focus group Approved by MIC
research ethics board Sample size 200, (convenience sample) Piloted
with 20 students
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165 responses to survey 74% (122) female; 26% (43) male Age
Profile: 90% 18-19yrs 10% 20+ yrs
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StatementN Strongly Agree (%) Agree (%) Unsure (%) Disagree (%)
Strongly Disagree (%) I am interested in SPHE 1638681770 I enjoyed
SPHE at school 15913 62 12 0.5 I believe that SPHE is a relevant
curricular area 1652460132 0 I learnt a lot from the SPHE class
16143427305 SPHE was taught very well in my primary school
150423253513 SPHE was taught very well in my post-primary school
15954317296
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StatementN Strongly agree AgreeUnsureDisagree Strongly Disagree
There was a whole school approach to teaching SPHE in my primary
school 152213314113 There was a whole-school approach to teaching
SPHE in my post- primary school 15652426405 I believe that SPHE is
beneficial for students 1653061710.5 The fact that there is no exam
in SPHE at post-primary level is an advantage to the subject
162294414112 SPHE should be mandatory in schools to Leaving
Certificate level 162153627193 I look forward to teaching SPHE on
leaving college 16522561930
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SPHE AspectProportion ranked in top 3 (1,2 or 3) Proportion
ranked in bottom 3 (8,9,or 10) Belonging and Integrating38%29%
Relationships and Sexuality31%20% Substance Use25%38% Influences
and Decisions23%37% Personal Safety34%26% Communications
Skills23%34% Emotional Health55%15% Friendship22%30% Physical
Health37%22% Self-management: A Sense of Purpose 14%46%
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Five in sample All female Little recall of primary school
experience Comments mainly based upon post- primary experience
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Content: Body Image Eating disorders Bullying Hygiene RSE Drugs
education a lot of it was common sense at the time we probably
thought that you were too cool for ityou were able for something
more
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All agreed that SPHE was available in 1 st /2 nd and 3 rd year
of post-primary school 4 students stated that SPHE did not always
take place when it was scheduled Group viewed SPHE as interesting
Seen as a break Queried methodology: you dont want to be reading
the text bookyoud rather join a conversation you dont have to
writeyou can say it out Lack of structure: you could be doing one
thing one week and onto the next thing the following week
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A number of concerns: Lack of experience of SPHE to date:
impact on confidence and ability to teach Lack of knowledge Impact
of social context Interests/responses of the children: it depends
on if they respond or not
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Positive attitudes: 84% see relevance of SPHE, 91% see SPHE as
beneficial to students,78% looking forward to teaching SPHE
Subjective norms: qualitative data demonstrates potentially
negative subjective norms Perceived behavioural control: Teacher
confidence, lack of knowledge, pupil responses emerged as barriers
to perceived behavioural control.
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Three broad themes: Increasing the recognition of the subject
Specific topics that should be addressed Resources and teaching
methods
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More active approach to learning: very interactivewith a group
conversation more than reading from a text book or work sheet
Planned according to the needs of a particular class: if they had a
class at the start of the year to figure out what was relevant to
that classinstead of sticking to a text bookin one class bullying
might be an issueand in another, relationships might be an issue.
More structure: it needs more structureit seemed to be just mixed
in at random every week, you know Divided opinion about making SPHE
an exam subject: it may be viewed more seriously if there was an
exam at the end/ a lot of it is kind of opinionsso its going to be
very hard to say thats right or thats wrong
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Appointment of SPHE co-ordinator in every school Implemented
whole school and community approach Located within the broader
context of the Health Promoting School More designated time to SPHE
More acknowledgement of teachers needs Mandatory SPHE
qualifications at post- primary level
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on teaching SPHE, one needs confidence, knowledge and also the
where-with-all to understand the frailty of the situation. These
are skills we need to obtain (qualitative statement in student
survey, September 2012)
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Thanks to Eva Devaney, Health Promotion Advisor, Mary
Immaculate College, for her assistance with this research.
Slide 30
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behaviour.
Organisational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 50, pp.
179-211. Department of Education and Skills (2009). Social,
Personal and Health Education (SPHE) in the Primary School.
www.education.iewww.education.ie ESRI/TCD/Office of the Minister
for Children and Youth Affairs (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Growing up
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Jourdan, D., Stirling, J., Mannix McNamara, P.& Pommier, J.
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Assessment (1999). Primary School Curriculum: SPHE, Teacher
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www.ncca.iewww.ncca.ie National Council for Curriculum and
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NicGabhainn, S, OHiggins, S. and Barry, M. (2010). The
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O. (1999). The Norwegian Network of Health Promoting Schools.in
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