Health Educators Love Reading: Introducing the Journal Club for Lifelong Learning

The paper describes the process of translating and adapting a traditional medical teaching strategy, the journal club, into the field of health education. This approach is here presented as a creative method for the review phase. The literature review is necessary for organizing an action plan, but it also constitutes a way to share emergent knowledge on health education in one’s own community. From this perspective, it develops professionals’ information literacy.

A journal club practice for literature review was managed in a Master’s program focused on health promotion competencies, involving participants in critical reading within the Master community. An opening review workshop and a regular journal club during each residential stage of the Master were set in motion for two editions. The Matrix method practice with a guideline for journal club teaching management has been designed and produced. Finally, an evaluation questionnaire for participants and tutorial meetings build up the evaluation design.

Participants appreciated this participatory learning methodology. They performed as journal club managers and actors and gave evidence of their information literacy within their master thesis. In addition, they plan and manage journal clubs in their own contexts, shifting journal club from higher education to health education practice.