Research Plan - 2021
(Extracts)
Title of the research
Innovative action research for the development of an educational methodology for effective health promotion and health education in kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, and for the identification of the conditions for its implementation
Research aims
Overall aim
Developing, testing and evaluating a comprehensive, i.e. multi-disciplinary (pedagogical, community, environmental) methodology and holistic approach to health that will enable and motivate children to live healthy lives now and later as adults, to make schools "healthy".
Specific aims
- In the problem area identified, prioritisation based on a survey of the situation and state of affairs among the actors of public education organisations (teachers, non-teaching staff, students), their maintainers (municipalities, local authorities, local education authorities, churches), teacher training institutions, educational research institutes, representatives of professional organisations (e.g. health promotion offices).
- Preparation of theoretical and methodological teaching aids, teaching tools, recommendations for their implementation, testing in kindergarten, primary and secondary school practice, publication of the results in scientific national and international journals and presentation of the results at national and international conferences, all of which ensure successful health promotion and health education, in accordance with scientific criteria and applicable in practice.
- Develop and test innovative methodologies for knowledge generation and practice change in other key competences.
Research methods
In order to develop successful health promotion and health education methodologies, it is necessary to acquire knowledge that can be applied both at the national level and at the level of the public education institution. The research is therefore organised around two pillars.
I. Pillar
Identifying the factors influencing health promotion and health education at the national level and their effects, as well as formulating recommendations for influencing and modifying them.
II. Pillar
Identification of the factors influencing health promotion and health education at the institutional level, mapping the effects and interrelationships of the factors, defining the conditions for a "healthy school", identifying, developing and testing interventions to achieve this.
Expected scientific results and benefits of the research
Using the results of the research, the new, expectedly more effective methodology of institutional health promotion and health education can be applied more widely, and the practice of "healthy schools" in Hungary can be disseminated. The monitoring of the research process will provide experience that can be applied to the preparation, implementation and evaluation of similar participatory action research in the field of public education. In this way, the research methodology can be applied to other educational or other fields. The scientific results of the research will be directly applicable to the practice of health promotion and health education in public education institutions. The action research will result in educational strategies, practices and educational materials that are better suited to educational objectives and to the expectations and needs of teachers, children and their parents than those currently available. The results of the research will also provide recommendations at national level to enable and facilitate modern health promotion and health education practices at local level. The dissemination of our research results in national and international peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences will be carried out.