Evaluative research of the "health-promoting schools" project

Abstract

The project of Extension "Health-Promoting Schools" was started in 2002 in order to educate future generations and provide them the abilities, skills and knowledge needed to promote their health, as well as the family and community health by strategies of educative intervention to children and educators. Seven years after developing the project, it was necessary to do a qualitative evaluative research with the aim of assessing the planning process, the implementation of the training program for educators and its sustainability. The qualitative paradigm was used as a methodology because it permits to know why and how the social interaction process happened, creating with all these inquiries, an accumulative knowledge and learned lessons that contribute to improve the project. The ontological and epistemological approach was hermeneutic, basically interpretative. It permitted to study the events exactly just as they are, allowing to know the structure and essentials of the processes in the project. The sample was made up of 71 educatiors and eight members of the board of five schools. The technique for collecting information applied to educators, members of the boards and planners was the focus group, as well as the data gathered by semistructure questionnaires and documental revision. It was found that the project was well supported and adequately designed. The educators consider the project useful for their personal and professional life. The project is sustainable through the time; however the participation of the community should be improved. The present study permitted to know the usefulness and goodness of the qualitative research for the assessment of a project of social nature. It also contributed with valuable, extensive and detailed information about the processes experienced. This information could not be found if the research had been done by the traditional cuantitative methods, giving very useful data to the responsable staff who implemented the project to improve strategies and redefine objectives