The unstable foundation of health education: A critical consideration of health education teacher education within Canadian universities

A significant challenge in Canada is the absence of provincial or territorial guidelines requiring teachers to receive health education training in postsecondary initial teacher education programs. To understand the extent of health education preparation across the country, we surveyed personnel from postsecondary initial teacher education programs. Specifically, we investigated the availability of health education curriculum and instruction/pedagogy (C&I/P) courses, the roles of the instructors teaching them, and the number of health education credit units required for Bachelor of Education graduates. Findings indicate many universities do not mandate health education coursework; when offered, these courses are frequently taught by sessional instructors, or are absent or cancelled altogether. This raises significant concerns about teacher preparedness and the overall quality of health education in K-12 schools.