Project Health: evaluation of a project‐based health education program

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -Milwaukee has very high rates of risky sexual behavior and low rates of academic achievement among adolescents. Milwaukee school representatives partnered with researchers to create and implement an innovative project-based learning (PBL) high school health curriculum to engage students in school. This health education program, Project Health (PH), aimed to engage Milwaukee Public Schools high school students, by PBL, into the urban health classroom. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the curriculum on student engagement and document the process of implementing this program, in order to identify strengths, weaknesses and areas of needed improvement. Design/methodology/approach -Student engagement was measured with an 18-item scale at three time points in intervention and control schools. Attendance data were collected by tracking the number of days students were absent from school the semester the curriculum was implemented. Analysis of covariance was used to test whether students in PH classes were more engaged and if they had fewer absences than students in the control classes. The process evaluation included interviews with teachers, focus groups with high school students, and focus groups with teaching assistants. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to extract key themes and categories across all data. Findings -Students in the intervention health class were significantly less absent from school than control students. However, they were not more engaged than their peers in control schools as measured by a student engagement scale. Various components of the PBL teaching approach used in the Project Health high school curriculum were viewed as positive by health educators, students, and teaching assistants. Results indicate that PBL used in health education may increase school attendance.Originality/value -This study was original in that it documented how a novel health education program that incorporated PBL can positively impact urban students' school attendance. It also highlighted the process of implementing this program from the vantage point of students, assistants, and health education.

The Positive Impact of Project-Based Learning on Attendance of an Economically Disadvantaged Student Population: A Multiyear Study

“…Economically disadvantaged students at Beta, the campus utilizing a PjBL saturated environment, attended school at higher rates than students at Alpha, utilizing a traditional instructional approach. These findings are consistent with the effects of PjBL and PBL on attendance rates in various environments studied in previous research conducted on entire student populations (Smith & Cook, 2012;Zusevics, Lemke, Harley, & Florsheim, 2013).…”

“…Although implementing a PjBL environment requires ongoing training and support for teachers to be able to integrate PjBL methodologies within complex educational content required by state and national standards, PjBL may increase student interest and engagement in school. Because PjBL, as well as PBL, appear to affect the attendance rates of students, as evidenced by the results of this study and others (Smith & Cook, 2012;Zusevics et al, 2013), an effective implementation of PjBL methodology may lead to more of our economically disadvantaged students attending school on a more regular basis and actively striving toward graduation. Additionally, increased rates of attendance by economically disadvantaged students may impact not only graduation rates, but also accountability ratings for the study school and district.…”

The Effectiveness of Participation in a Project-based Learning Project on At-risk Student Self-Efficacy

“…These findings are consistent with the effects of PBL on selfefficacy in various environments studied in previous research conducted on entire student populations (Zusevics, Lemke, Harley, & Florsheim, 2013).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that PBL methodologies may positively impact student attitudes, collaboration, and buy-in, and these factors may contribute to the higher self-efficacy rates as shown in the study (Zusevics, Lemke, Harley & Florsheim 2013). In this light, we might consider the founding principles of PBL methodology in providing relevant, learner-centered experiences for all students.…”

Matching the Pace of Genomic Advances Through the Integration of Genomic Education Into High School Health Education

“…Although students could learn about genomics in traditional learning techniques (ie, textbook reading, teacher lecture), this field is likely to be one best taught through the use of technology and nontraditional teaching modalities (such as using Apps on mobile devices and tablets or computer‐based software games) integrated into an existing health education program. As previous studies have shown, technology‐based health education has the potential to improve academic outcomes and decrease absenteeism . Using technology to integrate genomic content into health education curricula may engage students more as they learn about personal and community health, potentially leading to improved educational outcomes.…”