How high school teachers experience their work with student health
Creating a good relationship with the students and helping the students to succeed are the two most important aspects of the work. That's what high school teachers think in a new study that examines the role of teachers in working with student health.
Teachers have an important role in promoting the health and well-being of students, but this is not traditionally considered a teacher's role. To raise the issue, doctoral student Zofia Hammerin and associate professor Goran Basic have in a new scientific article investigated how ten high school teachers experience their work with student health.
“To ask how they are, talk about something that has nothing to do with school … To simply build a relationship. That is the most important thing for students to feel well, I think.”
Jessica, teacher
“The teachers believe that their work has two main aspects: to create a good relationship with the students and to help the students succeed. And working with student health, they believe, means working to achieve these two aspects”, says Zofia Hammerin.
The study has a social-pedagogical perspective, something that is very unusual among studies in the field of student health. It shows that social-pedagogical recognition is significant for achieving common success in school practice in relation to student health work.
“I think that … feeling well … believing in yourself is also part of feeling well and it becomes very difficult if they don’t believe that they can succeed. If they just think it will not work. And if I don’t meet them there and see that and try to help them succeed it will not work.”
Emma, teacher
“Health and learning go together, and it can therefore be seen as the teachers working with student health on a daily basis. Clarifying teachers' responsibilities and competence in student health work and strengthening teachers in their identity as health promoters could improve the student health practice”, says Goran Basic.
More information
- The study Health in everyday teaching practice in Sweden: a social pedagogical analysis of high school teachers’ descriptions
- The study is part of the doctoral project Student health in Swedish high schools