The Holmes Group and Health Education: Oil and Water?

Overview & Synopsis

The Holmes Group recommends that teacher education be extended and restructured to produce highly competent teachers. This study was conducted to determine the impact of the Holmes Group recommendations on preservice preparation of health education teachers. Health education department chairs at nine universities belonging to the Holmes Group were invited to complete questionnaires identifying and ranking predicted and perceived effects of these recommendations on health education majors. The responses indicated a lack of agreement among the subjects. Based on informants' responses, the following general predictions were arrived at: (1) students graduating from Holmes-based extended teacher education programs will be well-prepared to teach; (2) few schools will actually implement a Holmes-based teacher education program; (3) 4-year programs will continue to prepare health education teachers; and (4) the number of school health education majors will decrease at Holmes universities. Results also suggest that grassroots support for Holmes Group recommendations among health educators is lacking; widespread adoption of Holmes-based curricula in departments of Health Education is not likely; and the Holmes Group will not have much effect on the preparation of health education teachers. The two are like oil and water. (Contains 17 references.) (LL)