Influence of Human Biology and Health (HBH) Teaching–Learning Process on Students’ Conceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Zélia Caçador Anastácio (), Thayná Champe Da Silva, Celeste Meirinho Antão, Andrea Stopiglia Guedes Braide, Iara Denise Endruweit Battisti and Graça S. Carvalho
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Zélia Caçador Anastácio: Research Centre on Child Studies, Institute of Education, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Thayná Champe Da Silva: Research Centre on Child Studies, Institute of Education, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Celeste Meirinho Antão: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), Higher School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Andrea Stopiglia Guedes Braide: Department of Health Educational Development, Ceará School of Public Health, Fortaleza 60165-090, CE, Brazil
Iara Denise Endruweit Battisti: Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Cerro Largo 97900-000, RS, Brazil
Graça S. Carvalho: Research Centre on Child Studies, Institute of Education, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic created the need for universal vaccination. This study aimed to compare university students’ (pre-service teachers) conceptions who had already learned the immune system and vaccination topics in the “Human Biology and Health (HBH)” curricular unit with those who had not yet taken part in it. It also intended to verify the influence of secondary school background, perception of one’s own health, feeling at risk for COVID-19 and their own experience with it and scientific knowledge related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. It was a cross-sectional study with a mixed methodology for data analysis. A questionnaire was applied online to a sample of 102 university students. Results show that students who had already taken the subject on the immune system and vaccination had more acceptable conceptions about the vaccine and wanted to be vaccinated but not in the initial moment of the national vaccination process. The fear of adverse reactions seemed to be the major hesitancy factor. Furthermore, students’ argumentation showed that their conceptions progressed towards more socio-scientific reasoning.

Keywords: science education; science literacy; health literacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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