From Primary Teacher Activity to the Development of Teacher Competencies in Health Promotion: Teacher Training Programme and Ordinary Teaching Activity

International audienceLiterature emphasizes the importance of health promotion to improve health resources as well as to aid children’s academic progress. The status of health promotion in the educational systems depends on the history and culture among countries. Health education in the French educational system aims to develop health promotion notably by delivering health education throughout a child’s schooling. But “Health education” is not a subject, it is cross-curricular. Students are not required to complete credits in health education in order to graduate. Health education is included in different subjects: citizenship, biology, physical education … in elementary and secondary schooling. As schools are not primarily concerned with the improvement of children's health, health promotion must be become an aspect of the way in which teachers perceive their mission, as well as the constraints of the school setting.Thus teachers are not systematically trained in the field of health education. Although the prescriptions favour a whole school approach, the practices of teachers differ. Teachers essentially focus on specific health issues (hygiene, nutrition, teeth…), only a third of them work in a global approach.Under what conditions and which situations do primary teacher develop their competences linked to health promotion?Our framework on the notion of activity is based on a perspective of ergonomic cognitive psychology (Leplat, 1997), the concept of competence is by reference to Jonnaert (2004) and the theoretical approach to health promotion is defined according to the guidelines of IUHPE (2008) and by St Leger & Young (2007). This communication aims at providing knowledge on the process which leads teachers to develop their competencies in health promotion. The objectives are the following:- Characterizing the difference between the prescribed competence (as perceived by the prescriber) and the competence as represented by the teacher,- Characterizing the situations in which teachers develop their competencies in health promotion,- Identifying resources linked to the situation, the context and the person underlying the development of teacher competencies.MethodData were collected in 2006 to 2008 in 27 French primary schools, from a population of 156 primary teachers. Schools were selected on their location (disadvantaged; middle; advantaged) and their size (<4 class, 4-7 class, > 7 classes). Sampling of schools is socially representative compared to national characteristics. In order to characterize the process of developing competences, three teacher profiles were analyzed: the first group of teachers were systematically trained in health promotion; the second group is comprised of teachers who received training if they requested it and the last group received no specific training during investigation. Participation of teachers was voluntary. A mixed method approach was chosen. It is based on interviews (65) and a questionnaire (96). The analysis led was qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (univariate and multivariate analysis).Expected OutcomesThe analysis is currently in progress. We expected to characterize the situations in which teachers develop their competencies in health promotion. This identification will allow us to identify what they retain of the prescription and to show what aspects of prescription favour the development of teacher competencies. Eventually, internal and external factors will be clarified and their impact on dependent variables linked to health promotion will be analyzed