Comparative analysis of future and in-service biology teachers’ health definitions

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess future and in-service biology teachers’ definition of health. The importance of the topic lies in the fact that health education and health promotion receive special attention in biology classes, in which the model role of the teacher is emphasized. The individual's health behaviour is influenced by his/her perceptions of health, therefore teachers as role models as well as the taught material can also affect it.
Methods: 153 in-service and 66 future biology teachers participated in the self-completed, anonymous questionnaire survey. During data analysis binomial tests, Chi-square and t-tests were run.
Results: There were significant differences between the future and in-service biology teachers’ health definitionsin case of the physical exercise, nutrition and health awareness components, for the future teachers’ benefit. The complete definition of the World Health Organization from 1946 was not mentioned in any of the groups. More than 40% of future biology teachers and more than 30% of in-service biology teachers did not indicate any of the definition components in their answers. Mentioning physical and mental well-being was the most common. Mentioning the more complex physical-mental-social well-being appeared in small numbers among the in-service biology teachers, but did not in the case of future teachers. Physical-mental well-being and the absence of disease were mentioned together in some cases in both groups. The absence of the disease component occurred together with the positive emotion component the most often.
Conclusions: The future goal for university students is to pursue a health conscious lifestyle and to maintain this attitude throughout their life. It is also important to educate pupils for healthy lifestyle in the secondary school biology classes, in which the role of teachers serving as role models is significant. To fulfil this responsible role, teachers should be supported with health-related programs, trainings and in-class health promotion curricula, thus the biology teachers are more likely to shape their students' healthy lifestyle in the course of everyday life.