title: Improving pre-service elementary teachers' self-reported efficacy for using the professional teacher standards in health education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effectiveness of health education methods courses for pre-service elementary teachers has not been assessed for improving the pre-service elementary teacher's self-efficacy for using the professional teacher standards in health education (PTSHE).
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental design was used to assess pre-service elementary teachers' self-efficacy toward using the PTSHE. Four institutions whose elementary education programs provide a health education methods course were recruited to participate in the study. Students were recruited to participate and they completed the Pre-service Health Education National Standards Self-efficacy (PHENSS) Scale at the beginning and end of the semester. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 15) software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant increase in the PHENSS Scale scores indicated that a 3-credit health education methods course could improve the pre-service elementary teacher's self-efficacy to use the national standards in their teaching of health education. Further analysis indicated statistically significant improvement of the participants' PHENSS scores in 2 of the 7 standards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teacher self-efficacy can be a useful measure of the pre-service elementary teachers' ability to use the national standards for health education. The design of the methods course may affect the PHENSS scores.
authors.affiliation: Professor/Chairperson, (jkclark@ilstu.edu), Department of Health Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5220.
authors.forename: Jeffrey K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Brey
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*
keywords: efficacy scale; elementary health education; teacher evaluation; teacher preparation; teacher self-efficacy