The Use of the LePSA Methodology in Primary Health Education Programme, Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania: An Evaluation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the LePSA methodology as it is em- ployed in the peer educators seminars of the Primary Health Education Programme (PHEP) of the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. One objective of the study was to determine the extent to which the peer educa- tors' seminars PHEP were learner-centred. Another objective was to determine the extent to which the seminars were problem-posing The third and fourth objectives were, respectively, to determine the extent to which the seminars were self-discovery and the extent to which the seminars were action-oriented. The fifth objective of the study was to identify the communication strategies employed in the PHEP seminars in the course of disseminating the primary health education messages to the peer educators. The study was an evaluative survey employing the observer - as - participant position of the observational method of data gathering. Stratified sampling was the technique used in determining the size of the sample for the study. The study found that the extent of learner-centredness in the seminars was only about 45%; the extent of problem-posing in the seminars was only about 48%; the extent of self-discovery in the seminars was only about 41%; and the extent of action-orientedness in the seminars was only about 40%. It was also found that in the PHEP seminars attempt was made to use participa- tory communication as a method and technique of disseminating the primary health education messages to the peer educators. The implications of these findings are that the LePSA methodology as it was employed in the PHEP seminars left much to be desired. It is recommended that the trainers of the peer educators should employ a communication strategy that might enable them to understand their audience before they attempt to reach them with educational messages. It is also recommended that trainers using the LePSA methodology should be properly trained, as the methodology appears simple but rather too involving.