An Investigation into Teachers' views on Effective Teaching Strategies for Nutrition Education in a DEIS band 1 context.
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NIamh Kelly, 'An Investigation into Teachers' views on Effective Teaching Strategies for Nutrition Education in a DEIS band 1 context.', [Thesis], 2019-05Download Item:
PME Dissertation_Niamh Kelly_10311523 feb.pdf (PDF) 436.4Kb
Abstract:
The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased significantly worldwide over the past three decades,
with over one in four Irish children identified as being overweight or obese at present. There is a known
higher prevalence of childhood obesity in areas of economic disadvantage. Nutrition Education (NE)
from an early age can equip the child with the appropriate knowledge needed for them to make wellinformed
decisions relating to food and nutrition. Teachers have a significant role to play in the
provision of NE, especially in low income areas where children may not receive this at home. The aim
of this research was to investigate teachers’ views on effective teaching strategies for nutrition education
in a DEIS band 1 context. The research design used was a qualitative method. The researcher completed
a total of nine interviews with an array of teachers from different class levels in a DEIS band 1 school.
The present study found that almost one half of the teachers were unaware of the recent statistics
indicating the prevalence of childhood obesity in Ireland, however identified obesity as a problem in
their school. Teachers identified child-centred, active methodologies as effective strategies for NE
implementation, across all class levels. This research discovered that the main barriers to effective NE
implementation were lack of time, lack of concrete resources and lack of parental involvement when it
comes to implementing NE in practice. Further research similar to this study should be conducted on a larger scale in order to pinpoint exactly how best to implement nutrition education in the current climate
of growing childhood obesity prevalence.
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Professional Master of Education
Author: Kelly, Niamh
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