School Health Promotion – A Comparative Study of School Leaders’ Approaches in Malaysia and Switzerland

• In Event: School Leaders’ Knowledge, Responsibilities and Practices regarding Health Promotion in Schools and Communities

Proposal

In today's evolving educational landscape, school leaders are crucial key players for new ideas, change and reorientation (Brown, 2010; Calabrese, 2002). They serve as catalysts for driving transformative initiatives that empower education towards a better future with healthier and empowered individuals entering and contributing to society (Shaked, 2019). Notably, in the realm of school health promotion (SHP) implementation, school leaders are recognized as key players (Dadaczynski & Hering, 2021; Gieske & Harazd, 2009; Zumbrunn et al., 2016). However, their roles and possibilities exhibit significant variations contingent upon the contexts in which they operate (Harris & Jones, 2020). Contextual factors, such as local educational governance, hold immense significance when school leaders aspire to initiate change, particularly in areas like SHP (Simovska et al., 2016). Within more decentralized systems, school leaders possess great autonomy and responsibility in challenging and reshaping existing structures regarding SHP (Altrichter & Kemethofer, 2015; Skott, 2021). In systems that are governed more top-down, school leaders can likewise be viewed as transformational leaders who bring about change. However, their ability to enact change is typically within the context of national expectations and guidelines (Jones et al., 2015).
This comparative project focuses on the implementation of SHP by school leaders in Malaysia and Switzerland. The comparison between these two countries is intriguing because they have different educational governance systems. In Switzerland, school leaders have the authority to set local priorities while adhering to governmental guidelines (cf. Altrichter & Maag Merki, 2016). In contrast, Malaysia has a more centralized system where formal goals are set for schools (Adams, 2023).
In June 2021, an online survey was conducted with N = 986 school leaders from both countries. The implementation of health promotion was measured using the Survey of School Promotion of Emotional and Social Health (SSPESH) scale (Dix et al., 2019), which is based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Promoting Schools framework (Langford et al., 2015). Regression and simple slope analyses were performed on the data. Following the quantitative survey, a qualitative follow-up study was conducted in May 2022, which included eight interviews in Malaysia and ten interviews in Switzerland. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with a deductively developed coding system based on the WHO global standards and indicators for Health Promoting Schools (World Health Organization & UNESCO, 2021) ensuring comparability between the two countries.
Preliminary findings show school leaders attitudes toward health promotion, student body composition, and school level play a role in both countries in SHP implementation, but their impact differs. In Switzerland, the school leader's attitude strongly influences health promotion, whereas in Malaysia, the well-being of the school leader has a minor effect. Interviews reveal that national and local factors, such as the scope of action for principals and government guidelines, shape health promotion practices. Malaysia has designated leaders and permanent student counselors, while Switzerland relies on individual efforts, resulting in diverse health-promoting activities and little support of schools, also in a crisis situation where parents protest against the use of masks etc.

Author

• Simona Betschart, Schwyz University of Teacher Education