Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experience of five female Health Champions as they navigated through periods of flux and systemic instability while implementing Comprehensive School Health initiatives. The purpose of this study was to discover the immediate emotional and embodied experiences identified by five change agents having horizontal differentiation of roles including: pre-service student teacher, educational assistant, teacher, school leader, and system leader while undertaking educational reforms introduced between 2009 and 2016 in Alberta, Canada. This study uncovered insights into their common understanding of emotional labor as they experienced this phenomenon while implementing the Comprehensive School Health framework, a reform to Physical and Health Education that coincided with the Inspiring Education movement. The findings of the study define the unique nature of the emotional work of change agents in educational settings, create a storied common lived experience, and suggest some implications and areas of future study for leaders interested in implementing Comprehensive School Health initiatives.