Teacher Socialization in Health Education: Factors that Influence Curriculum and Pedagogy Used by K‒12 Health Education Teachers
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Authors
Alperin, Holly
Date
2026-03
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
TEACHER SOCIALIZATION IN K–12 HEALTH EDUCATION
Abstract
Teacher socialization is the process by which an individual’s environment and lived experiences influence their teaching practice. This research examined the socialization of health education teachers in K‒12 settings to identify influences on their curricular and pedagogical choices. A qualitative semistructured interview was used to examine how each of the three phases of socialization can affect curricular and pedagogical choices. The phases of socialization are: acculturation (time-period prior to entering a formal teacher preparation program), professional socialization (begins at teacher training and continues throughout an in-service teacher’s career), and organizational socialization (specific to teaching setting and includes a teacher’s beginning to identify with the knowledge and skills that are valued by their own school and school district) with a specific emphasis on how the environment surrounding teachers influences the curriculum and pedagogy used in the classroom. Findings were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and emphasized that each phase of socialization holds unique value in the development of a health teacher, with acculturation and professional socialization phases forming the strongest influence. Findings also elevated the direct role that the environment surrounding a health teacher had on curricular choices for the K‒12 health education classroom.