JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

China is the world's largest social media market, with approximately 1.06 billion active users. A significant portion of this population includes students using platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo for learning. Social media's interactive nature makes it a valuable tool for disseminating health information, though its impact on student health and well-being remains debated. While some argue it poses risks such as misinformation, others highlight its potential for enhancing access to quality information and peer support. This study focuses on the adoption of social media in health education in China, particularly in the context of the "Healthy China Initiative 2019–2030."

Objective:

This study aims to explore the relationships between the perceived usefulness of social media, teacher self-efficacy, and perceived teaching outcomes among K12 health education teachers. Specifically, it examines how teachers' perceptions of social media's usefulness influence its integration into teaching practices and how this integration affects teacher self-efficacy and perceived teaching outcomes.

Methods:

Using stratified cluster random sampling, we surveyed 2,459 elementary and middle school health education teachers across 21 cities in Guangdong Province, China. Data collection was conducted via a questionnaire in October 2022. Path analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between the perceived usefulness of social media, teacher self-efficacy, and perceived teaching outcomes, controlling for variables such as gender, years of teaching, subject taught, education level, and grade level taught.

Results:

The results indicate a positive correlation between the perceived usefulness of social media and its instructional integration (β = .07, p < .001), which is associated with increased teacher self-efficacy (β = .11, p < .001). Additionally, there is a strong correlation with perceived teaching outcomes (β = .74, p < .001). These findings underscore the potential of social media as a tool to enhance teaching efficiency among K12 health education teachers. This study advances our understanding of the integration of social media into classroom settings, suggesting that its guided use by educators, especially in pre-tertiary institutions, can significantly benefit instructional practices.

Conclusions:

The study highlights the significant roles of perceived usefulness and teacher self-efficacy in integrating social media into K12 health education. Teachers who value social media's utility and feel confident in their teaching capabilities are more likely to report effective educational impacts. Promoting positive perceptions of social media and supporting teacher self-efficacy can significantly benefit instructional practices.