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PRAXIS II Health Education Exam

This exam is designed for individuals who would like to teach health education in grades K-12. You will be given two hours to complete this 120 multiple-choice exam. There will be 12 questions on health education pedagogy, 18 questions on disease prevention, 24 questions on healthy relationships, 12 questions on community health advocacy, 36 questions on promoting healthy lifestyles, and 18 questions on health education as a discipline.

Health Education Pedagogy
This section of the test will assess your knowledge of teacher effectiveness, evaluation of student learning; instructional methods, strategies and techniques; performance-based objectives, curriculum, programs, and assessing student and community needs.

Disease Prevention
This section of the test will cover personal hygiene, counseling, classification and treatment of mental illness, eating disorders, the behavior of an addict, depression, and suicide. Communicable and non-communicable diseases, chronic and acute conditions, genetic and congenital diseases and, infectious and non-infectious diseases are also covered in this section of the exam.

Healthy Relationships
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of population diversity, violence, sexuality, dating, communication, and growth and development. The population diversity section will cover varied cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and the need for health education for all population groups. Harassment, bullying, emotional, verbal, and physical abuse will be covered on this exam. Your knowledge of pregnancy, infertility, sexual expression, sexual difficulties and reproductive choices will be also be assessed. Dating, marriage, parenting, active listening, assertiveness, conflict resolution and interpersonal communication will also be covered. Family and peer relationships, self-concept, dying, death, and the stages of human growth and development will also be included in this section of the exam.

Community Health Advocacy
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of public and private health agencies, leadership, community service, health care career choices, access to health care, consumer health concerns, environmental health, and health and safety laws.

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of anatomy and physiology, prevention and reduction of health risk factors, first aid, personal safety, tobacco usage, unplanned pregnancy, alcohol usage, drug abuse, over the counter and prescription medications, nutrition, stress management, exercise programs, muscular strength, physical fitness and, individual responsibility for a healthy lifestyle.

Health Education as a Discipline
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of school health services including community and family involvement, counseling and social services, physical education, nutrition, and health education. The Center for Disease Control, adolescent risk behaviors, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, morbidity, mortality, national health education standards, and health literacy will also be included in this section of the exam. In the health literacy section your knowledge of citizenship, communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills will be assessed.

PRAXIS II Health Education Practice Questions

1. Aspects that should be part of a health education program include:

A. physical
B. emotional
C. social
D. All of the above

2. A child's development is impacted by:

A. parents
B. grandparents
C. caregivers
D. All of the above

3. Which of the following is not a major developmental skill of early childhood?

A. Exploring their environment
B. Clinging to mom
C. Learning to make decisions
D. Discovering how things work

4. Which of the following is not a major developmental skill of childhood?

A. Staying close to home
B. Manipulating signs and symbols
C. Using tools
D. Appreciating the learning process

5. Some of the major developmental skills of adolescence include:

A. applying logic to abstract concepts
B. exploring new ideas
C. testing the limits
D. All of the above

Answer Key For Health Education

1. Answer: D

Health education is concerned with the student's quality of life not just in school, but also as the basis for forming a positive attitude about his physical, social, and emotional well-being for the rest of his life. Cultural influences, home and community environment, and heredity all play a role in obtaining and maintaining a healthy body and mind. To be effective, a health education program should consider all these factors. It should also include the school staff, parents, district administration, and community resources when designing a curriculum to teach the skills necessary to attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

There are three interrelated health elements involved in a successful program:

PHYSICAL: understanding how the body works and what outside factors help and hinder its growth and development
EMOTIONAL: identifying and exploring feelings, emotions, and relationships and recognizing their impact on both mental and physical health
SOCIAL: studying the interaction of individuals with each other and within groups, understanding how everyone influences the health and well-being of the environment, and the impact each person has on the overall safety of the community

2. Answer: D

Researchers theorize that each child experiences the same factors and stimuli differently based on his relationship to his parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Traditionally, mothers were considered the most influential and crucial person in a child's psychological development. This viewpoint is slowly changing. Evidence suggests that even if the father has no contact with or direct influence on a child, dad's treatment of and interactions with mom has a significant impact on the child's development. Both the direct and indirect role of the intimate and extended family is being studied. A greater emphasis is being placed on the primary caregiver, regardless of gender or biological relationship to the child-be it mother, father, grandparent, nanny, or childcare worker.

Studies have shown that siblings do influence each other's development, most notably in forming aggressive behavior and acquiring conflict resolution skills. The overall emotional climate of the family and the different approach parents take with each child has a strong influence on the relationship between the siblings, as well as the power one sibling may hold over another.

3. Answer: B

In early childhood, approximately three to five years of age, children widen their social interactions and become more involved with and attuned to the people around them. They are eager to explore their environment, take risks, find adventure in the backyard, and discover how things work. Children this age are very creative and expressive. Their world might have purple trees, an orange sky, and super heroes living behind the garage.

It is the responsibility of the caregivers in his or her life to encourage initiative and exploration and help the child learn from mistakes. If the caretaker offers appropriate praise when earned and is consistent with discipline when needed, the child will become more responsible, follow through on assigned tasks, and develop a healthy, positive self-esteem. If the child is not allowed to make some decisions for himself and be a little independent, he may stop taking the initiative altogether and be easily led by other people.

4. Answer: A

From approximately six to ten years of age, children start school and begin moving away from the known world of home and family to the new world of academia, additional adult influences, and many people their own age. Egocentric thought begins to lessen. Children learn how to manipulate signs and symbols related to objects. They learn how to make things and use tools. They discover actions are reversible, how it feels to be productive, and how much fun it can be to learn something new.

For many children, this is the first time they receive feedback from people outside the family circle. If the feedback is constructive and instructive, they develop competence and increase their self-esteem. However, if a child is consistently unsuccessful and doesn't learn to appreciate the learning process, he can feel inadequate and develop feelings of inferiority that can stay with him and influence the rest of his life.

5. Answer: D

Adolescence starts at about eleven and lasts until the child reaches eighteen or so. Youngsters this age learn to apply logic to abstract concepts. In the first few years of this stage, adolescents return to being egocentric because they are trying to figure out who they are and where and how they fit into the world. They explore new ideas, test established limits both at home and in school, and try to cope with and understand all the physical, hormonal, and emotional changes they are experiencing. They try on different roles, personas, and behaviors as they figure out which identity to embrace. It is a confusing time, but a necessary and critical step in developing a positive sense of self. Parents, friends, teachers, mentors, peers, and other people in the adolescent's life all have an influence, positive or negative, on the adolescent's choices.