Browsing by Subject "education for sustainability"

The aim of this study is to understand Home Economics teachers’ beliefs and how they affect teacher agency in education for sustainability. Education has a key role in building a sustainable future and Home Economics has been seen to correspond well with the multidisciplinary nature of sustainability. However, sustainability is a complex issue which students should be taught by encouraging reflection and critical thinking. Home Economics is connected to everyday life and transdisciplinary in nature, therefore it is argued that the themes of sustainability coincide with the subject matter of Home Economics. Previous studies have shown that Home Economics teachers have adopted sustainable practices into their personal lives and are motivated to educate students on sustainability, however the implementation of sustainability into their practice was partially hindered by lack of resources, incentives, and outsiders’ image of the discipline. The data, consisting of the semi-structured interviews of thirteen Finnish Home Economics teachers, was initially coded based on the model of agency achievement. Furthermore, the analysis was carried out using thematic analysis. Four main themes were discovered, involving teacher beliefs about the discipline of Home Economics, beliefs about teaching, beliefs about students and beliefs about sustainability. Results indicated that HE teachers were committed to the principles of sustainability and believed that their work as teachers had impact and meaning in creating a better future by promoting a sustainable lifestyle. However, beliefs, such as students being indifferent about sustainability and the lack of appreciation for Home Economics seemed to inhibit teacher agency. Sustainability was also believed to be a controversial topic, which meant teachers would change the way they spoke about certain subjects with students. Teachers also spoke about how long-standing beliefs and myths about Home Economics still interfere with their work. Additionally, the spaces in which HE was taught seemed to steer the contents of lessons and reinforce beliefs that cooking was the main focus of HE.