Development of Management Strategies to Enhance Health Education Knowledge and Practice of Student Teacher Major in Physical Education Program

Background and Aim: The actual situation of cultivating the health education ability of students majoring in physical education has not achieved the implementation effect that was in line with policy requirements, and there were no courses related to health care, infectious disease prevention, and treatment specifically designed for the health education system. Therefore, this research aimed to develop management strategies to enhance health education knowledge and practice of student teachers majoring in the physical education program. Materials and Methods: This research was a mixed-methods study, which combined quantitative and qualitative research. The researcher conducted a survey of 296 fourth-year students in 13 universities within Yunnan Province, interviewed 9 primary and secondary physical education teachers, 9 university instructors, and 9 university leaders. The validity of the questionnaire and interview form was validated by five experts. The IOC of the student questionnaire was 0.95 (0.60-1.00). The IOC of the interviewing form for teachers was 0.96 (0.80-1.00), the IOC of the interviewing form for university instructors was 0.96 (0.80-1.00), and the IOC of the interviewing form for university leaders was 0.96 (0.80-1.00). The information obtained from the questionnaires and interviews was used to develop management strategies to improve health education knowledge and practice among physical education students under the scope of management function (POLC). The content of the management strategy was distributed to 19 experts for consensus by the Delphi method for two rounds. The management strategy was adjusted by the researcher and confirmed by the focus group discussion. The questionnaire data were analyzed by mean and standard deviation. Consensus data by the Delphi method were analyzed by median and interquartile range, with the criterion set at a median of ≥ 3.50 and an interquartile range of ≤ 1.50. Results: Fourth-grade students had poor practical abilities in health education, and they had a greater need for improvement in skills and operations. To solve these problems, management strategies were developed with hierarchical concepts, which include four first-level elements, namely, policies, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and competency certification, 13 second-level elements, and 56 third-level elements. Conclusion: The management strategies to enhance health education knowledge and practice of student teachers majoring in the physical education program should focus on four sets of strategies, 13 subsets, and 56 indicators. These management strategies were confirmed and accepted by experts to be appropriate, practical, and feasible strategies to enhance health education knowledge and practice of student teachers majoring in the physical education program.