An International Comparative Analysis of Curricula in Health and Wellbeing

Countries globally recognise the importance of children and young people’s health and wellbeing (H&WB), particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, while sport and physical education are staples of school curricula (Welshman, 1998), there is a growing trend of incorporating wider aspects of H&WB (eg, health literacy, mental health, relationships, decision-making) into national curricula. Evidence is limited, however, regarding how different countries structure their curriculum to support learning across H&WB. Defining H&WB as broadly encompassing physical, social, spiritual, and emotional aspects, we compared the curricula of seven countries/regions to understand: How are learners’ understandings, skills, and values in H&WB expected to build upon each other or become more sophisticated as they progress through the curriculum? Our analysis aims to highlight different approaches to help guide national curriculum development. We draw from the concept of curriculum coherence, considered essential for successful educational reform. Sullanmaa et al. (2019, p 3) describe three components of curriculum coherence: shared goals, integration between teaching and learning, and alignment in objectives, content, and assessment. Another aspect, developmental coherence (Jin et al., 2019), emphasises logical curriculum sequencing and integration of knowledge and skills over time to reflect the “nature of learning” (Jin et al., p. 1208). Developmental coherence is deemed important to prevent superficial coverage caused by disconnected standards or content. Some curricula aim to address this through learning progressions, which are descriptions of increasingly sophisticated ways learners develop understandings of concepts across time (Fortus & Krajcik, 2011). While prevalent in mathematics and sciences, research on learning progressions in H&WB is limited, with some exceptions (eg, Hulteen et al., 2018). There remains a gap in educational understandings of how broad knowledge, skills, and values in H&WB develop over time. We selected seven countries/provinces for our comparative analysis: Australia, British Columbia, Finland, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, and Wales. The authors' involvement in co-developing the H&WB learning area in Wales motivated our study. Starting with a convenience sample, we purposively selected additional countries based on their 'information power' (Sebele-Mpofu, 2020), considering H&WB coverage, English documentation availability, and dual language contexts. We developed questions to guide the analysis. Following Bowen’s (2009) recommendations, we gathered and reviewed relevant curriculum and guidance documentation, and took detailed guided notes to gain a deep understanding of each country's H&WB curriculum. We then collated these notes into a table, extensively compared across countries, and created descriptive and evaluative notes on observed patterns. To enhance the analysis, we compiled learning/curricular objectives from comparable aspects of H&WB and stages of learning across the countries/provinces. We identified differences in curriculum structure among the sampled countries, with variations in stages and prescription. Some presented H&WB as one broad area, while others split into different subjects or placed aspects into cross-curricular themes, competencies, or culture. Most described learning through concise objectives at different grades/levels/stages, except one that employed holistic narratives. Interestingly, some argue that concepts like physical literacy should not be reduced to a “discrete set of skills to be taught” (Jurbala, 2015, p. 374). Regarding development through H&WB, some had explicit principles of progression or noted the nonlinear nature of progression and individual pathways, whereas for others we had to compare across stages and make inferences. Generally, development in H&WB was characterised by deepening understandings, values, or skills across time, rather than new conceptual understandings. Common language patterns followed general knowledge taxonomies (eg, Bloom's taxonomy). Other common patterns included widening application of skills, and the expectation that learners become independent and self-regulated over time, which contrasts with perspectives of wellbeing as being interdependent, embodied, and relational (O’Toole & Simovska, 2022). Examples and our reflections will be provided. This work offers novel findings on national H&WB curricula and critically examines how understandings, skills, and values in H&WB are expected to develop across the curriculum, with implications for countries/provinces considering curriculum reforms. Similar to Voogt & Roblin's (2012) analysis of 21st-century skills, questions persist around integrating H&WB with other subjects, being cross-curricular, or being a singular curricular area. Whether there is an ‘epistemic structure’ (McPhail, 2021) in H&WB also remains unclear. We propose a refined definition of developmental coherence, emphasising a learner-centred sense of connectedness across time as one engages in different aspects of the curriculum. This approach moves beyond strict sequencing, embracing a more holistic perspective. We offer recommendations for practice, curriculum development, and research.