Mathijs Mesman, Hanneke Hendriks, Simone Onrust, Bas van den Putte

The Effects of Teacher Communication During a Health Intervention on Older Adolescents’ Predictors of Health Behaviour

Introduction

The effects of teacher communication during a health intervention on older adolescents’ predictors of health behaviour. Investigates teacher communication in school health interventions. Teacher clarity significantly improves older adolescents' attitudes, norms, & intentions for alcohol use and exercise.

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of teacher communication behaviours on predictors of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise during a school-based health intervention. Additionally, we investigated whether students’ evaluations of the intervention mediated these effects. In a two-way prospective study, 389 adolescents (222 females; Mage = 16.64, SDage = 1.97) completed a survey. Key variables were teacher communication behaviours (i.e., clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance), predictors (i.e., attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise, and students’ evaluations of the health intervention were investigated. Results showed that teacher clarity resulted in significantly healthier injunctive norms and higher perceived behavioural control regarding alcohol use, and for exercise in significantly healthier attitudes, descriptive norms, and intentions to exercise. No effects of teacher clarity were found for snack intake. Furthermore, teacher clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance did not indirectly result in healthier predictors of health behaviour through evaluations of the intervention. Findings support the role of teacher clarity for intervention effectiveness, and advise designers of health interventions to incorporate the role of teacher clarity in their teacher training programs to achieve more desired changes in health behaviour.

Review

This study presents a timely and relevant investigation into the crucial role of teacher communication behaviours within school-based health interventions for older adolescents. By examining the impact of clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance on predictors of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise, the research directly addresses how pedagogical approaches can influence the efficacy of public health initiatives. The inclusion of student evaluations as a potential mediator further enhances the sophistication of the inquiry, aiming to uncover the underlying pathways of influence. Overall, the study is well-conceptualized, tackling a significant area with clear objectives pertinent to both educational practice and adolescent health outcomes. Methodologically, the study benefits from a prospective design and a robust sample size of 389 adolescents, lending credibility to its findings regarding longitudinal associations. The selection of key variables is comprehensive, encompassing critical predictors derived from health behaviour theories (attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) for multiple health domains. The results particularly underscore the importance of teacher clarity, demonstrating its significant positive influence on healthier injunctive norms and perceived behavioural control concerning alcohol use, and on healthier attitudes, descriptive norms, and intentions related to physical exercise. The finding that clarity had no effect on snack intake is also valuable, helping to delineate the specific contexts where this communication style is most impactful. While the findings strongly support the role of teacher clarity, the abstract could benefit from a brief acknowledgement of potential limitations, such as those inherent in self-reported survey data, or a more detailed explanation of the "two-way" aspect of the prospective design. Nevertheless, the study's conclusions offer clear, actionable recommendations for practitioners and intervention designers. The emphasis on incorporating teacher clarity into training programs for educators involved in health interventions provides a direct and practical application of the research, suggesting a tangible strategy to enhance the effectiveness of future school-based health initiatives and foster more desired changes in adolescent health behaviour.

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