Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate health education faculty demographics, preparation, attitudes, teaching strategies and intended outcomes relative to the teaching of ethics in professional preparation programs. A total of 307 health education faculty participated in the study; 229 indicated they included ethical inquiry and discourse in the health education courses they taught. Study participants who included the examination of ethical issues in graduate or undergraduate courses completed a 29 item questionnaire which included both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Results of the study indicated that while only 45% of the health education faculty reported having had formal instruction in ethics, 79% felt comfortable or very comfortable in facilitating ethical inquiry and discourse in professional preparation programs. Health education faculty reported using diverse teaching strategies to encourage students to identify and explore major questions in ethics, but these strategies often fell short of the rational, systematic exploration of alternative courses of action based on the application of fundamental ethical principles and rules inherent in the profession. Only one-third of those participating in the study reported evaluating student progress in ethics, due, in part, to poorly defined outcomes for the teaching of ethics in health education professional preparation programs. ;The results of the study suggest that while health education faculty see ethics as a valuable component of the health education curricula, many lack specific training in ethical inquiry and discourse. Increased initiatives for faculty development in ethics has the potential for positively impacting the identification, examination and resolution of ethical issues in health education both now and in the future