Date of Award
2001
Degree Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Janet Kulberg
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the potential relationships between elementary school teachers' perceptions about curriculum content and methods of instruction and teachers' decisions to teach, or not teach, about HIV/AIDS prevention behaviors as part of a required school health education curriculum for students in grades kindergarten through five. The Elementary School Health Education Profile (ESHEP), a teacher self-report survey was used to assess teachers' perceptions about curriculum and methods of instruction. Mailings of the ESHEP were sent to all public elementary school teachers in one of the northeastern United States with the request that participation be restricted to teachers of the health curriculum; confidentiality was assured to all participants. A response rate of 18.8% (n = 1220) resulted from this voluntary request for teachers' participation in the completion of the ESHEP. To reduce the impact of collinear relationships identified within the dichotomous and continuous variable sets, exploratory models of: (a) logistic regression analyses (guided by Hosmer and Lemeshow's criteria for variable inclusion) and (b) multiple regression analyses using backward stepping, respectively, were used to evaluate the relationships between the predictor and outcome variables included in this study. Results of logistic regression analyses suggest that teachers who were most likely to try to increase student knowledge about HIV prevention behaviors as part of the required health education curriculum include teachers who: (a) teach 4th and 5th grade, (b) report that they received-, or wanted-training on the topic of HIV prevention, (c) perceive that they have adequate content training about HIV prevention, and (d) do not view the coeducational nature of the class or concern from the community as an obstacle to teaching about HIV prevention behaviors. Results of multiple regression analyses support a strong positive relationship between teachers who identify the lecture, audio-visual, problem-solving, small group, and role-play methods of instruction as inappropriate methods for teaching about HIV prevention behaviors and teachers who report that they are uncomfortable teaching about HIV risk behaviors with these five methods of instruction. Implications of findings from this study are discussed in terms of considerations for a future teacher training program in future studies.
Recommended Citation
Pineo, Lindsey Knight, "The relationship between teacher perceptions of self, others, and instructional methods and intentions to teach HIV/AIDS prevention" (2001). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1774.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1774
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