Counseling-Oriented Health Literacy and Psychological Well-Being among Pre-Service Primary School Teachers: A Single-Group Pretest-Posttest Study

Abstract

Psychological well-being is a crucial factor for pre-service primary school teachers, particularly during the early stages of professional preparation when academic demands and adjustment challenges are prominent. Counseling-oriented health literacy has been suggested as an effective approach to support positive psychological functioning; however, empirical evidence within teacher education settings remains limited. This study aimed to examine changes in health literacy and psychological well-being following a counseling-oriented health literacy intervention among pre-service primary school teachers. This study employed a single-group pretest–posttest design involving 40 first-semester Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) students. Participants completed measures of health literacy and psychological well-being before and after participating in the Health Literacy Counseling Module (HL-C), delivered in two brief sessions over one week, using interactive lectures, discussion, and role-play. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests and Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed a significant increase in health literacy and psychological well-being after the intervention, with large effect sizes. In addition, changes in health literacy were moderately and positively associated with changes in psychological well-being. These findings provide preliminary empirical evidence that counseling-oriented health literacy functions not only as an educational strategy but also as a brief psychological intervention to support positive functioning in early teacher education.