Teacher Competencies in Health Education: Results of a Delphi Study

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ObjectiveThe aim of this research study was to identify the core competencies for health educationteachers in supporting the development of health literacy among their students.Method/ResultsA three round Delphi method was employed. Experts in health education were asked to identifycore competencies for school health educators. Twenty six participants from the academic fieldwere invited to participate in the study. Twenty participants completed the first round of the Delphi,while eighteen took part in round two and fifteen participated in the final round. Data werecollected using an electronic questionnaire. The first round contained an open ended questionin which participants were asked to name and define all the competencies they perceived wereimportant. Thematic analysis was undertaken on these data. A list of 36 competencies was createdfrom this round. This list was then returned to the same participants and they were askedto rate each competency on a 7 point semantic differential scale in terms of importance. Theresulting data were then analysed. For the final round, participants were presented with a list of33 competencies and were asked to rank them again, in order of importance.ConclusionTwelve core competencies emerged from the analysis and these competencies comprisedof a mixture of knowledge, attitude and skills. The authors suggest that how these competenciesare achieved and operationalised in the school context can be quite complex andmulti-faceted. While the authors do not seek to generalise from the study they suggest thatthese competencies are an important input for all stakeholders, in order to question nationaland international teacher guidelines. In addition the competencies identified may provide auseful starting point for others to undertake deeper analysis of what it means to be an effectivehealth educator in schools.