An attempt to develop functional health instruction for the secondary school

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AN ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL HEALTH INSTRUCTION FOR THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

A Project Presented to the Faculty of the School of Education The University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education

by Howard S . Gabriel June 1950

UMI Number: EP46319

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T h is project report, w ritten under the direction o f the candidate’s adviser a n d app ro ved by him , has been presented to and accepted by the F a c u lty of the School o f E d u catio n in p a r t ia l fu lfillm e n t of the requirements f o r the degree of M a s t e r of Science in Education. rj

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I.

PAGE

INTRODUCTION .............................

1

The p r o b l e m ............................ Statement of the problem . . . . . . . .

1

Scope of the problem

............

2

..........

2

Importance of the problem Limitations and weaknesses Definition of terms used .

. ...........

5 5

H e a l t h ...........................

5

Hygiene

.............................

6

Health education .....................

6

School health education

6

..............

Health instruction Health service . . .

.

6

..................

7

Health examination ....................

7

Method of procedure

....................

7

Related investigations ..................

8

Organization of remainder of the study . . II.

1

11

PLANNING FOR FUNCTIONAL INSTRUCTION

....

13

Learning and the whole organism

....

13

Fundamental principles ................

14

Personal experience or action

15

.....

Needs and interest....................

16

Common problems

18

......................

iii CHAPTER

PAGE Pupil participation

......................... 20

Democratic group process............. . . . * . 2 1 Understanding and appreciation............. . . 2 2 Summary . . . . . . . ....... ..... III.

. . . . . .

THE DIRECT METHOD OF INSTRUCTION............. Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Integration

2^ 25

.....25

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Direct teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

Limitations of correlated instruction . . Characteristics .......................

. . 28 ...30

Psychological arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Logical arrangement........ ............. . • 33 Summary . . • • • ................. IV.

3*+

HEALTH SERVICES AS AN AID TO INSTRUCTION........... 36 *36

Health histories............. Screening test.

..............

Preparing for medical

*37

examinations.......... • 37

Classroom demonstrations............... . . . . 3 8 The individual examination. Dental service.............

........... 39 *+0

Prevention and control of communicable disease. *+1 Emergency care. Summary ........

*+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M f

CHAPTER V.

PAGE COURSE ORGANIZATION FOR INSTRUCTION. . . . . . . . ....................

What to teach Definitions

VI.

VII.

.................

Arrangement of course of study. . . . . . . .

53

Present trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5**

Summary . . . . . . . .

56

............

....

58

Preparation of the health educator. . . . . .

59

Summary.......................

6k-

/ Health practices or behavior.

. .

.........

66 67

Health knowledge.

69

................... ...........

70

Health attitudes. • • . . . • • • • . . • • •

72 72

.

Evaluating attitudes.............

7k-

Summary........... VIII.

65

Evaluating health practices or behavior . . .

Evaluating health knowledge

\

57

Personality and health of the teacher . . . .

EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTION.................

/

k6

51

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR INSTRUCTION.......

/

k-$

SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS.................. Summary

76

.............

Suggestions........... BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................

76 80 83

LIST OP TABLE TABLE I.

Tlie Group Process of Learning

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In the past few years, there has "been a decided increase in the need for more and better health instruction. Present health practices, mental illness, divorce status, and many other domestic problems of today, reveal the urgent need of understanding and solving our daily health problems. This can be successful only as far as health learning be­ comes effective.

In many high school classes, learning by

the rote method still predominates.

This type of learning

in health must be replaced by one which will be more functional through the everyday experiences of observing healthful ways of living.

This responsibility falls upon

the secondary classroom teacher.

The health needs of the

student should also be the concern of all teachers, but in the past, health instruction by all teachers proved what was everybody*s Job was no one's responsibility.

Therefore,

future health instruction should be the responsibility of teachers trained in the field of health. I.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the problem.

The purpose of this study

was to develop functional health instruction at the secondary level.

2 Scope of the problem.

This investigation was not

limited to„any particular school or situation.

It was

attempted to present the more recent trends in health education which may be effective in bringing about desirable changed attitudes, behavior, and practices of the high school students. Importance of the problem.

Health education has,

for some time, been recognized as one of the most important studies in the educational program, yet little has been done beyond offering formal instruction in hygiene, physiology, and anatomy. Recently, the Joint Committee of Health Problems in Education of the National Education Association and American Medical Association-^ with the co-operation of contributors and consultants have expanded health education into areas which Include the individual, the family, and the' community for the substance of its program. It is within these large areas, the individual, family, and community that the needs of this study develop.

Before

good learning tahes place, present-day health instruction must be made more meaningful to the individual through actual

National Education Association and American Medi­ cal Association, Health Education (fourth edition; Washington, D. C.: National Education Association, 194-8), P. 98.

-3 student experience.

Interest must be created and situations

provided to stimulate the teaching of health in the class­ room. As to the Importance and necessity of improved instruction, one has but to look at the high annual divorce rate, the large number of persons in our prisons and mental institutions to realize the need in assisting the student through education, in understanding himself, his family, and his associates.

There is much for the student to

discover in the appreciation and understanding of the family and of one's own place in it; preparation for marriage and future home life; care of children and home care of the sick. The boys and girls in today's classrooms will be the future citizens of tomorrow.

As adults, they will be called

upon to help solve national health problems.

Their ability

to do so will depend upon their background and interest developed through health instruction while in high school. It will be these educated persons who will protect their own \

health and that of their family, community, and n a t i o n . 3 Some of the national health needs to be solved are expressed in the following;

2 Ibid., p. 88. 3 E. M. Strang, The Role of the Teacher in Health Education (San Francisco; The Macmillan Company, 1941), p. 81.

1.

The need for dental research: 85 per cent of

preschool children suffer from dental caries.^ 2.

The need for research in disease: one out of every

three deaths are caused by circulatory or heart functions.5 3.

The need of rehabilitation: one out of every ten

high school students will spend some time in a mental clinic.6 4.

The need for education in nutrition: 45 per cent

of the population is malnourished.*^ 5.

The need for medical aid: one third of the

nation1s population receives little or no medical care. It seems that such problems as stated above can be solved best through the intelligent understanding of the nation*s future citizens.

Health instruction can contribute

to this intelligent understanding.

Health instruction can

arouse interest, engender compelling motives, and stress

^ American Dental Society, Council on Dental Health: The Control of Dental Caries (Chicago: The American Dental Association, 1947)7 p. 4. 6 R. E. Grout, Health Teaching in Schools (Phila­ delphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1948), pT~3T57 6 D. Oberteuffer, School Health Education (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1949)7 p. 8.

^ J£bid. > P* 10* ® Robert Bender, “National Health Problems,M American Journal of Public Health, 19: 9, November, 1948.

5 the development of good habits and attitudes as well as the acquisition of knowledge.^ Functional health instruction is important and necessary for the large group of students who are not interested in or capable of pursuing a scientific course but need an opportunity to acquire the functional everyday use of health education. Limitations and weaknesses. by the brief amount of time allowed. completed in one semester.

The study was weakened The study was to be

The scope of the problem

limited the study to functional health instruction, a small phase of a broad field of health.

Other contributing

factors were the Investigator's inadequate background in health education, the scarcity of recent published materials available and the review of the literature as the only method of research. II.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED

For the Interest of common understanding of the terms frequently used in this study they were defined and explained as follows: Health.

It is that complete fitness of body,

9 National Committee on School Health Policies, Suggested School Health Policies (Second edition; New York: Health Education Council, 19^5), p. 7.

soundness of mind, and wholesomeness of emotions, which make possible the highest quality of effective living and of service.10 Hygiene, living!

it is the applied science of healthful

it provides the’basic scientific knowledge upon

which desirable health practices are founded.11 Health education.

It is the sum of experiences

which favorably Influence habits, attitudes, and knowledge relating to individual, community, and racial health.1^ School health education.

It is that part of health

education that takes place in school or through organi­ zations and conducted by school personnel*1^ Health instruction.

It is that organization of

learning experience directed toward the development of favorable health knowledges, attitudes, and practices.1**'

10 C. E, Turner, School Health and Health Education (St. Louis: 0, V. Mosby Company/ 19^7)» p. "2¥. 11 American Physical Education Association, “Committee Report of Terminology,M Journal of Health and Physical Education. 20:16, December, 193&. 1 2 1,00» o i t .

^

Loc. cit.

^ J. R. Sharman, Introduction to Health Education (New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, l