Abstract:
With the growing international interest in health education and the emerging health issues faced by young people in different countries, school health education draws the attention of scholars from both East and West (Meng et al., 2023; Rich et al., 2019; Leahy et al, 2016). Some scholars argue that the survival of health education in schools relies on a social and historical commitment to young people’s health (Fitzpatrick & Tinning 2014; Sharma, 2021). This commitment leads us to think about health education in terms of health issues or health problems. Health education then occupies an uneasy position in the curriculum in many places and is frequently collapsed with health interventions (Fitzpatrick & Tinning, 2014). In many countries, including China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, health education is directly connected to physical education in formalised curriculum policy. The relationship between these two areas - ‘health’ and ‘physical education’ can, however, have very different meanings and effects. In this presentation, we draw on a study into official policy in New Zealand, China, and Japan and undertake a critical discourse analysis into the representation of health and health education in their respective curricula. We explore how the construction of health education discourses becomes reasonable in these different socio-cultural and geographical contexts and examine what health education stands for in school policy.
References
Ball, S. J. (2006). Education policy and social class: The selected works of Stephen J. Ball. RoutledgeFalmer.
Fitzpatrick, K & Tinning, R. (Eds) (2014). Health Education: Critical perspectives. Routledge.
Leahy, D., Burrows, L., McCuaig, L., Wright, J., & Penney, D. (2015). School health education in changing times: Curriculum, pedagogies and partnerships. Routledge.
Meng, X., Horrell, A., & McMillan, P. (2023). ‘Health first, safety first’: an analysis of the legal system and professional ethics for curriculum enactment in China. Sport, Education and Society, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2023.2283069
Rich, E., Monaghan, L. F., & Bombak, A. E. (2019). A discourse analysis of school girls engagement with fat pedagogy and critical health education: rethinking the childhood ‘obesity scandal.’ Sport, Education and Society, 25(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1566121
Sharma, M. (2021). Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
References
Ball, S. J. (2006). Education policy and social class: The selected works of Stephen J. Ball. RoutledgeFalmer.
Fitzpatrick, K & Tinning, R. (Eds) (2014). Health Education: Critical perspectives. Routledge.
Leahy, D., Burrows, L., McCuaig, L., Wright, J., & Penney, D. (2015). School health education in changing times: Curriculum, pedagogies and partnerships. Routledge.
Meng, X., Horrell, A., & McMillan, P. (2023). ‘Health first, safety first’: an analysis of the legal system and professional ethics for curriculum enactment in China. Sport, Education and Society, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2023.2283069
Rich, E., Monaghan, L. F., & Bombak, A. E. (2019). A discourse analysis of school girls engagement with fat pedagogy and critical health education: rethinking the childhood ‘obesity scandal.’ Sport, Education and Society, 25(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1566121
Sharma, M. (2021). Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion. Jones & Bartlett Learning.