Health literacy education focusing on health information literacy in school health education

Abstract

In the revised Courses of Study, “information literacy” is indicated as a fundamental quality and ability for learning, and health literacy is expected as an information literacy to be cultivated in health education. This paper presents the relationship between information literacy and health literacy, introduces health literacy research in Japanese school education, and discusses the results and challenges. In the Courses of Study, a shift from a content-based to a competency-based view of academic skills is expected, as capacities for adapting to the needs of an increasingly uncertain society are needed. In Japanese school education, health literacy research has been successful in many content-based class studies on specific subjects. Future research that contributes to comprehensive curriculum management and the cultivation of general-purpose abilities from a competency-based perspective is expected.