An analysis of health promotion discourses in the context of New Zealand's school health curriculum : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Education at Massey University

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the problem of a health promotion discourse within a health education curriculum. The problem is addressed through an analysis of health education and health promotion discourses which have been in use over the past half-century. It uses Michel Foucault's archaeological methodology to analyse the discourses of both the public health sector and the education (school) sector. It is argued that fifty years ago, both sectors used a health education discourse, but that since then, following policy directions from the World Health Organisation, the public health sector has developed and progressively favoured a health promotion discourse. It is only recently that New Zealand's education sector has begun to use a health promotion discourse in health curriculum documents. The thesis discusses some of the issues that surround this shift in discourse in schools.