WED-015 - Impact of a Sex Education Service-learning Program on Health Education Career Preparedness

Brief Abstract Summary: Explore how Student Leaders in Sex Education (SLISE), a year-long service-learning opportunity, prepares Public Health undergraduates for their careers. In SLISE, 16 seniors spend a semester learning about sexual health education, and a semester developing and delivering a related curriculum at partnering high schools. To determine SLISE’s impact on preparing students for health education careers, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 out of 16 students from the 2022-2023 cohort. Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: Interpersonal Growth and Development, Skills Development, and Direct Practice. For those pursuing health education careers, SLISE solidified their desire to pursue this career path and better prepared them for success in the field. For those not interested in pursuing a health education career, SLISE still offered transferable skills. Results suggest that SLISE was valuable for all individuals, regardless of career choice.

Detailed abstract description: Service-learning programs are designed to provide students with experiential learning through community-based work. These programs encourage students to improve critical thinking, develop skills, and apply knowledge related to their desired careers; these benefits also extend to the communities being served, making the pedagogy especially relevant to health education training.

Student Leaders in Sex Education (SLISE) is a year-long sexual health education service-learning opportunity at California State University, Los Angeles. Every year, 16 undergraduate Public Health seniors are selected to participate. Under the faculty director, SLISE members spend the first half of the program learning about sexual health and health education pedagogy, and the second half developing and delivering a comprehensive sex education curriculum at partnering high schools.

To understand how SLISE contributes to post-undergraduate health education career preparedness, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 of 16 participants from the 2022-2023 SLISE cohort. Within the study sample, all participants were between the ages of 20-29, the majority (69%) identified as Hispanic/Latinx and female (85%), and three-quarters (76%) were first-generation college students. Over half (62%) were working in health education at the time of the interview.

Thematic analysis revealed 3 key themes related to SLISE participants' health education career preparedness: 1) Interpersonal Growth and Development, 2) Skills Development, and 3) Direct Practice. All participants benefited from the "family-like" environment that offered peer support and accountability, and personalized mentorship from the director. The majority (92%) of participants shared that SLISE also exposed them to health education as an occupation, solidifying their career choices. The theme of Skills Development was divided into 2 sub-themes: Health Education Skills and General Skills. Participants indicated that SLISE fostered essential health education skills such as public speaking (77%), tailoring materials (77%), and teamwork (100%), which enhanced participants' confidence in serving as health educators. Additionally, participants developed other professional skills, such as the use of software tools and improved time management and organizational skills. Finally, the theme of Direct Practice emphasized the importance of training in real world settings. Participants (69%) expressed that the opportunity to engage in a health educator role amplified their ability to apply the relevant knowledge, skills, and experience in a real world setting.

These results signify that SLISE plays a valuable role in preparing students to serve as health educators. Through the program's training and direct practice, service-learning programs like SLISE can foster interpersonal growth and development, procure and refine health education and other skills, and help students successfully transition into their careers.