A Health Promoting Continuous Learning Sustainable Education System

Abstract This thesis was inspired by a new, evolving vision of a health promoting, continuous learning, education system with an ecological consciousness and focus on sustainability. In health promotion we are coming to a greater understanding of what creates health and how it is created in complex living systems - individuals, organizations, communities, and our planet. The setting is a large school district in Ontario involved in transformational systems change through creating collaborative learning environments, distributed leadership, and networking - locally and internationally. The research questions were: 1) Why and how do the top three most influential system environments (leadership, a culture of continuous learning, and interrelatedness of work and life) promote the optimal health, well-being, and sustainability of individuals (teachers, principals and supervisory officers) and the school district as a whole?; 2) What are the principles, patterns, relationships, and synergies that are integral to creating a health promoting, continuous learning, sustainable system? and; 3) Is there one or possibly two system environment(s) that might be a major enabler(s) for creating a health promoting, continuous learning, sustainable system? This study was a purposive qualitative study involving sixty semi-structured interviews with teachers, principals, and district leaders. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and an ecological, holistic systems approach, involving dialogue with experts in systems thinking, theory and change.The findings identify: (a) 12 major themes emerging from three system environments; (b) the synergy point; (c) leadership as the major enabler (d) one major pattern of increasing complexity and consciousness of health, well-being, and sustainability; (e) three sub-patterns: leadership, a culture of continuous learning, and interrelatedness of work and life; and (f) four tensions and paradoxes. This study makes five substantial contributions: * drawing on an ecological, holistic systems approach to health, well-being, and sustainability;* using a systems approach to research design and methodology;* using three knowledge lenses to draw on literature across diverse fields; *identifying 12 Principles of a Health Promoting, Continuous Learning, Sustainable System; *developing a Reflective Framework: Five Levels of Complexity and Consciousness of Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability.Recommendations and suggestions for further study are outlined.Ph.D