Thesis Format
Monograph
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Education
Supervisor
Rodger, Susan
Abstract
To better understand how to prepare large numbers of pre-service teachers for their role in creating and leading mentally healthy classrooms, this program evaluation explores outcomes related to an online mental health literacy course at a large central Canadian university. The course was delivered to 275 teacher education students simultaneously over 10-weeks and 20-hours of online instruction and professional reflection. Results indicated significant improvement in self-reported levels of mental health literacy, stigma toward mental illness, and self-efficacy for teaching students with diverse challenges. Qualitative reviews of participant feedback identified the most valuable aspects of the course and the ways in which it could be improved. A further qualitative analysis of participants’ descriptions of experiences related to teaching self-efficacy provided participant-driven insights into the way in which meaningful growth is facilitated for teacher educations students. Collectively, these findings were distilled into five participant driven kernels of effective practice that represent significant contributors to program effectiveness: professional role clarity; expectation setting; understanding the role of mental health, stress, and resiliency for all; easily accessible evidence-based knowledge and resources; and opportunities for critical discourse, performance, and feedback.
Overall, results suggest that the course positively influenced the development of teacher education students’ belief in their capacity to contribute meaningfully to school mental health. This is early evidence that enriched online mental health literacy courses offer an efficient and effective way for faculties of education to promote to future teachers’ capacity to create and lead mentally healthy school communities.
Summary for Lay Audience
Teachers are pivotal in the creation of mentally healthy classrooms, but they receive little to no formal training on how to effectively do so. To better understand how to prepare large numbers teachers for their role, this program evaluation explores outcomes related to an online mental health literacy course at a large central Canadian university. The course was delivered to 275 teacher education students simultaneously over 10-weeks and 20-hours of online instruction and professional reflection. Results indicated significant improvement in mental health literacy, stigma toward mental illness, and belief in one’s ability to teach students with diverse challenges. Participant feedback provided insights into the most valuable aspects of the course and the ways in which it could be improved. A further analysis of participant experiences related to teaching provided insights how meaningful professional growth occurs for teacher educations students. Collectively, these findings informed the identification of five participant-driven kernels of effective practice that contribute the effectiveness of the program: professional role clarity; expectation setting; understanding the role of mental health, stress, and resiliency for all; easily accessible evidence-based knowledge and resources; and opportunities for critical discourse, performance, and feedback.
Overall, results suggest that the course positively influenced the development of teacher education students’ belief in their capacity to contribute meaningfully to school mental health. This is early evidence that enriched online mental health literacy courses offer an efficient and effective way for faculties of education to promote to future teachers’ capacity to create and lead mentally healthy school communities.
Recommended Citation
Masters, E. Robyn, "Promoting Mentally Healthy Classrooms: Evaluation of Online Mental Health Literacy Instruction in Pre-Service Teacher Education" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6586.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6586
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Appendix A: Course Outline
Ethics Exeption Rodger-06232016160931[9258].pdf (247 kB)
Appendix B: Ethics Letter of Exemption
Measures.docx (25 kB)
Appendix C: Measures
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Child Psychology Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons, School Psychology Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons