Pupils’ views on an ICT-based learning environment in health learning

This paper presents a study that examined pupils’ views on an ICT-based learning environment in health learning. The study was a part of the wider European Network of Health Promoting Schools programme (ENHPS; since 2008, Schools for Health in Europe, SHE) in Finland, and particularly its sub-project, From Puijo to the World with Health Lunch, which sought to renew secondary schools’ health education by developing and utilising an ICT-based learning environment. The research data were collected through a structured questionnaire presented to pupils (N = 92) in two secondary schools, one rural and one urban, in Eastern Finland. The results showed that pupils’ opinions about the ICT-based learning environment were fairly positive. Pupils felt that the ICT-based learning environment was easy to use and supported cooperative learning. Computing and Internet skills positively supported pupils’ favourable attitudes towards the ICT-based learning environment. An interesting result from the point of view of e-learning was that the pupils increased their awareness of how to critically evaluate health information found on the Internet.

[1]  Khalid Bingimlas.  Barriers to the Successful Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature , 2009 .

[2]  H. de Vries,et al.  Electronic monitoring and health promotion: an evaluation of the E-MOVO Web site by adolescents. , 2008, Health education research.

[3]  V. Strecher.  Internet methods for delivering behavioral and health-related interventions (eHealth). , 2007, Annual review of clinical psychology.

[4]  Maged N Kamel Boulos,et al.  The emerging Web 2.0 social software: an enabling suite of sociable technologies in health and health care education. , 2007, Health information and libraries journal.

[5]  J. Brug,et al.  Internet-delivered interventions aimed at adolescents: a Delphi study on dissemination and exposure. , 2008, Health education research.

[6]  Wayne Lee.  EXperimental design and analysis , 1975 .

[7]  C. Currie,et al.  Young people's health in context. Health Behaviour in School-aged Childre (HBSC) study: international report from the 2001/2002 study. , 2004 .

[8]  Jan Van den Bulck,et al.  Viewership of pro-anorexia websites in seventh, ninth and eleventh graders. , 2009, European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association.

[9]  Willem J. Pelgrum,et al.  Pedagogy and ICT Use : In Schools Around the World Findings from the IEA Sites 2006 Study , 2008 .

[10]  Johannes Brug,et al.  Past, present, and future of computer-tailored nutrition education. , 2003, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[11]  Pierre Pluye,et al.  Shortcomings of health information on the Internet. , 2003, Health promotion international.

[12]  J. Brug,et al.  Strategies to Facilitate Exposure to Internet-Delivered Health Behavior Change Interventions Aimed at Adolescents or Young Adults: A Systematic Review , 2011, Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education.

[13]  Ashley Casey,et al.  A case study of wikis and student‐designed games in physical education , 2010 .

[14]  Ming-Te Wang,et al.  Adolescents’ Perceptions of School Environment, Engagement, and Academic Achievement in Middle School , 2010 .

[15]  J. Hautamäki,et al.  The Finnish education system and PISA , 2009 .

[16]  K. Glanz,et al.  The 5 A day Virtual Classroom: an on-line strategy to promote healthful eating. , 2000, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[17]  G. Buijs,et al.  Schools for health, education and development: a call for action. , 2008, Health promotion international.

[18]  C. Aldigé,et al.  Using technology to teach health: a collaborative pilot project in Alabama. , 2002, The Journal of school health.

[19]  Denise Polit-O'Hara,et al.  Nursing Research: Principles and Methods , 1978 .

[20]  W. Korte,et al.  Benchmarking Access and Use of ICT in European Schools 2006: Results from Head Teacher and A Classroom Teacher Surveys in 27 European Countries , 2006 .

[21]  C. Chronaki,et al.  eHealth Trends in Europe 2005-2007: A Population-Based Survey , 2008, Journal of medical Internet research.

[22]  D. Borzekowski,et al.  Adolescent cybersurfing for health information: a new resource that crosses barriers. , 2001, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[23]  Neil Selwyn,et al.  The use of computer technology in university teaching and learning: a critical perspective , 2007, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[24]  C. Vandelanotte,et al.  Associations of Leisure-Time Internet and Computer Use With Overweight and Obesity, Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors: Cross-Sectional Study , 2009, Journal of medical Internet research.

[25]  Marina Papastergiou,et al.  Exploring the potential of computer and video games for health and physical education: A literature review , 2009, Comput. Educ..

[26]  N. Burns,et al.  Understanding Nursing Research: Building an Evidence-Based Practice , 2006 .

[27]  Rik Crutzen,et al.  Qualitative assessment of adolescents' views about improving exposure to internet‐delivered interventions , 2008 .

[28]  Mark O'Hara,et al.  Young children, learning and ICT: a case study in the UK maintained sector , 2008 .

[29]  Sonia Livingstone,et al.  Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression , 2008, New Media Soc..

[30]  Cameron D. Norman,et al.  Developing Internet-Based eHealth Promotion Programs: The Spiral Technology Action Research (STAR) Model , 2006, Health promotion practice.

[31]  A. Gelman.  Analysis of variance: Why it is more important than ever? , 2005, math/0504499.

[32]  R. Winett,et al.  Using Internet technology to deliver a behavioral weight loss program. , 2001, JAMA.

[33]  Katrin Kreisel.  Evaluation of a computer-based nutrition education tool , 2004, Public Health Nutrition.

[34]  F. Griffiths,et al.  Why Are Health Care Interventions Delivered Over the Internet? A Systematic Review of the Published Literature , 2006, Journal of medical Internet research.