Browsing by study line "Kotitalousopettaja"

The aim of this thesis is to explore parents’ experiences of well-being in everyday life after the birth of their first child. The transition to parenthood with the first child is a unique time, as all the changes in everyday life are experienced for the first time, and it can surprise you in many ways. Family formation after the first child has been described as a critical transi-tional phase, in which everyday practices and rhythms change and adjustments are made in the relationship to meet the challenges of parenthood. Previous research has highlighted declining birth rates, parental exhaustion and experiences of uneven distribution of house-hold tasks. Therefore, there is a perceived need to increase honest discussion about par-enting and how well-being and feelings of equality could be enhanced in parenthood. The thesis was conducted using a qualitative research approach. The data were collected in October 2023 by interviewing seven (N=7) parents on parental leave with their first child. The data were analyzed using theory-based qualitative content analysis. The results of the study are not quantitatively generalizable. The transition in the families was seen as significant compared to the past. In the context of parenting a newborn, many factors contributed to and supported satisfaction and well-being in various ways but also presented conflicting and challenging experiences. New tasks such as breastfeeding, putting the baby to sleep and childcare were seen as rewarding in many ways, fostering a connection with the baby. Challenges highlighted the learning of these tasks and experiences of uncertainty. Personal time took on new meanings and was seen as a very important factor supporting personal identity and emotional well-being. Regularity in the rhythms of daily life with a baby made it easier to anticipate everyday life, but modera-tion and flexibility were seen as necessary. Everyone described equal parenting as im-portant, but there was variation in its implementation. When equality was achieved, parents' basic needs were met, household chores were evenly distributed, sufficient personal time was available, and a sense of gratitude, a willingness to prioritize the spouse and good communication also increased satisfaction in the relationship. Parents experiencing inequali-ty highlighted increased workload, negotiating while tired, lack of empathy and appreciation, and communication challenges as factors that undermined the well-being of the relation-ship. Support from relatives and society increased satisfaction if trust was felt and help was available when needed. Parental well-being experiences were seen to be influenced by ba-by-related characteristics. The experience of smooth everyday life was mirrored in expecta-tions and perceptions, and the fear of colic had been unfounded in each interviewee. As a result, most felt that everything could go well for the most part and that the occasional chal-lenges of parenting a newborn were seen as a natural part of everyday life that one could overcome. The pressures of parenthood emerged on several occasions, although at the same time most expressed confidence in their parenting and did not perceive the pressures as burdensome. As a topic for further research, it would be important to explore these pres-sures and perceptions in more detail. It would also be important to explore the experiences and changes in the well-being of parents’ that have resulted from the family leave reform. The results of this study bring theoretical insights and a deep understanding of early parenthood to the field of home economics research, in which context the findings can be utilized, for example, to provide empathy and support.

The purpose of this study is to find out what kind of tensions school actors experience and bring up as a part of the multi-professional collaborative planning and action process related to food education. In addition, this study is interested in what kind of collaborative learning is built based on these tensions. These results are conceptualized using levels of shared food sense. The study examined the collaboration process between three subject teachers and the school's food-service manager, during which a theme day for the whole school “environment friendly food day” was planned, implemented, and evaluated. So far, there has been no similar research in Finland on cooperation between food service and teaching staff or the utilization of school meals as a multidisciplinary learning entity in school communities. This study aims to respond to this research gap, as the national recommendations covering school meals (2017) and the Finnish National Curriculum (2014) guide and recommend the school community to consider school catering more widely as part of food education and multi-professional collaboration. This study was part of the RUOKATAJU (2020–2022) project. In this study data included multi-professional meetings, the teachers' open feedback questionnaire and interviews. The analysis was theory-based and utilized the definition of shared food sense and tensions. Collaborative learning was noticeable in relation to planning the ”environment friendly food day” implementation through joint understanding. Instead, the tensions that appeared during the evaluation phase provided appropriate information about the challenges related to the cooperation between the food service and teaching staff. Tensions were related, for example, to the hectic work of the food service staff, the staff resources provided by the employer, the diversity of the teacher's work, lack of information about school meal practices, the lack of professional competence or meaning. When considering further research ideas, it would be worthwhile to also make the voice of principals and the food service industry heard.

Home economic textbooks reflect the educational goals of a specific era within a certain cul-tural context. Examining home economic textbooks helps to understand what content and values society wants to emphasize in home economics education. This thesis explores the topics related to baking and baked goods as presented in home economic textbooks from 1980s to the 2020s. The aim of the study is to examine how food culture traditions and globalization are portrayed around themes related to baking. The background of the study is formed by historical and societal themes, including authenticity, exoticism, culinary cosmo-politanism, as well as everyday life and holiday tradition. The study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis. The data was collected from eight textbooks and the presentation of baked goods were compared to Finnish culinary cul-ture. The research also examined how exotic global culinary trends have become visible in the textbooks. Data analysis was performed using a theory-driven content analysis ap-proach. As a result of globalization baked goods may gradually become part of our own food cul-ture. If a pastry originally considered exotic is included in a home economic textbook, can it then be seen as integrated into Finnish food culture? All textbooks presented historical as-pects of our culinary culture, although these were more emphasized in older textbooks. The textbooks reflected the spirit and the curriculum values of their time. This was particularly evident in the emphasis on authenticity and exoticism related to baking and culinary culture in textbooks before the 2000s. Textbooks from the 2000s are more international and reflect the arrival of culinary trends and culinary cosmopolitanism into Finnish food culture and textbooks. Culinary cosmopolitanism can be seen as a dialogue between cultures. Culinary cosmopolitanism can facilitate discussions about different food cultures and ways of eating and find commonalities between different food cultures.

This master's thesis aims to explore home economics teachers' perspectives on the revised final assessment criteria in home economics. Assessment is a significant part of a teacher's daily work, therefore it is important to develop assessment practices, and criteria, and equality of assessment. Assessment criteria allow for more accurate assessment, giving teachers a clear framework for assessing students' performance, and increasing the equality of assessment. The revised final assessment criteria were introduced on 1 August 2021 and applied for the first time in the final assessments conducted in schools in spring 2022. The criteria define the required level of knowledge and skill for grades 5, 7, 8, and 9 in each subject. The purpose of the criteria is to guarantee objectives common to all, within which teaching and learning are implemented in basic education. The thesis was carried out empirically using a qualitative research approach. The data were collected in September-November 2023 utilizing thematic interviews with seven (N=7) home economics teachers who had personal experience with the final assessment criteria in home economics. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The results of this thesis cannot be generalized quantitatively. The results show that the final assessment criteria were seen as practical, clear, and concrete, which facilitates assessment and promotes equality among students. Challenges were seen in the over-detailedness of the criteria as well as the lack of evaluation criteria to accommodate different learners. Teachers were seen as needing more resources, in-service education, and material to support their assessment work. The assessment criteria were felt to provide security in uncertain situations and to help justify the grades given. The high-level standard seen in the criteria raised concerns that teachers could balance the assessment by giving higher grades than students' actual competence according to the criteria would be. Gender was no longer felt to have a significant impact on assessment. The assessment was perceived to be subjective and there was variation in the interpretation of teachers' views and assessment criteria in the interviews. For example, the criteria for giving a grade of ten varied, weakening the equality of the assessment criteria. Cooperation among col-leagues was seen as important in the development of assessment expertise. In addition, the need for continuous education was emphasized to promote diverse assessment and consideration of the changing circumstances of students. The final assessment criteria were seen as a significant tool, but their practical functionality and equality should be evaluated and developed in the future. In the future, it would be important to study, among other things, the practical variation in the interpretation of teachers' own mental images and assessment criteria, and to identify factors that affect it. In this way, equality of assessment can be promoted nationally. The results of the study can be used in similar contexts, and the study brings current information on the functionality of assessment criteria to the field of home economics science and pedagogy.

This master's thesis aims to elucidate the experiences of eighth-grade elementary school students in home economics distance learning periods in the spring of 2020 and spring of 2021. The aim was also to outline the change in household education during the exceptional period caused by the corona pandemic. The study was carried out using qualitative research methods. The research material was collected through in-depth interviews with eight eighth graders in elective home economics course who had experienced both distance learning periods. The analysis of the material uti-lized the principles of content analysis and thematic analysis. The general opinion of the interviewees about distance learning was negative. According to the respondents, social isolation had a negative effect on experiences also on distance learning in home economics, as the formerly interactive subject turned into studying alone. There was a distinct decrease in interactions between teacher and student, which affected negatively in the experiences of the student about distance learning. Tasks in distance learn-ing seemed more boring than in contact learning, as many tasks were written assignments instead of cooking, as in the name of equality the home economics teacher could not de-mand students to acquire the necessary materials. Respondents found the education tech-nological applications to be easy to use. However, the simultaneous use of many applica-tions was a concern for respondents, as the school did not have common policies on the use of applications during the first distance learning period, so many teachers had different appli-cations in use.

Finnish grade school is becoming more and more multicultural due to increasing immigration. However, according to previous studies, the structures of our education system are not equal or do not support diversity. Purpose of this thesis is to study experiences of otherness of young people with immigration background. The object of the analysis is to clarify what kind of experiences of otherness and othering young people have encountered in secondary school and in home economic classes. By opening the experiences of otherness, the dismantling of distorted value structures can be promoted. Qualitative research data were collected in December-January 2021–2022. Eight young adults with an immigrant background participated to the interviews. The young adults were from the Helsinki metropolitan area. The themes of the interviews covered the use of the concept of immigrant, identity and citizenship, racism, discrimination, as well as time in secondary school and home economic classes. The interview material was analyzed with content and thematic method. According to the study, home economic classes were perceived as pleasant, and they promoted equality. However, element where the students' backgrounds would become more visible part of education were missed. By group division in home economic classes teacher can promote mutual respect between students. The functional structure of the learning content is suitable for practicing interaction skills. Racism and discrimination in schools were found to be difficult to deal with because they are not actively talked about within school culture. According to the study, students are powerless to express the racist, discriminatory, and unfair treatment they have faced in school. The study found that the use of a concept immigrant increases young people’s sense of otherness. The young people also felt that it was difficult for the representatives of the mainstream culture to accept their identification as Finns.

Based on previous research, the development of consumer and financial education in basic education is topical and necessary. One of the teaching methods in accordance with the objectives of the curriculum is problem–based learning. The aim of this study was to investigate problem-based learning in home economics consumer and financial education. The aim was also to find ways to develop consumer and financial education in home economics. The perspective of this study were home economics teachers and their students whose involvement in the development of teaching is important. Answer to the research problem was sought with the main research question: How is problem–based learning feasible in the teaching experiment in consumer and financial education in primary school education? Sub-questions were used to discover benefits and challenges of the teaching method and also experiences of the target group during teaching experiment. The study was conducted as an ethnographic study. Research strategy was a combination of school ethnography and action research. Research material has been collected during the teaching experiment organized for the research using participatory observation, thematic interview and a questionnaire. Research material was collected in 7th grade home economics education classes in a school in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The target group of the study was 109 students and two full time home economics teachers of the school. The material of the study was analyzed thematically using theory-based content analysis. Based on the results of the study, problem-based learning is excellently feasible in consumer and financial education in home economics. The advantages of the teaching method were the commendable fulfillment of the goals during the teaching experiment and the increased motivation of the students. Problem–based learning was an inspiring and interactive way for students to learn, enabling students to learn actively and self-directedly and to apply critical thinking and knowledge. The biggest challenges in problem–based learning was related to the limited resources of home economics teachers, the lack of interaction and reflection skills in the target group, and the workload of the teaching method. The experience of both students and home economics teachers of problem-based learning during the teaching experiment was positive. Home economics teachers evaluate that the teaching method works in consumer and financial education of the target group beyond expectations. Based on the results of research, problem–based learning could be suitable teaching method in the development of consumer and financial education in home economics.

The study examines the subject didactic development reports produced as the final work of the course ’Teacher as a researcher’ which is part of home economics teacher’s pedagogical studies. These reports have not previously been analyzed as research data. The aim of the study was to find out what content areas and learning theories students use in their teaching experiments. The aim was also look at how the comprehensive learning goals, stated in the National curriculum are manifested in teaching experiments. Thus, this study examines the directions in which students are taking the subject-didactic development work. The scientific literature of the study relies on research-based teacher education and comprehensive learning goals as part of the National curriculum. The data includes 66 development reports prepared in 2013-2020. The reports were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The learning theories applied in the teaching experiments were analyzed as based on the framework summarizing these theories. The emphasis on the various content areas of home economics was searched for on the teaching methods used and for on the topics selected. These contents were again further processed into a table format. The comprehensive approach (based on the curriculum) in the experiment was searched by using three-step criteria. One report per content area per year was evaluated for further examination. According to the study, the content area of ‘Food competence and food culture’ proved to be the most used. The content area of ‘Consumer and financial expertise’ proved to be the second most popular and the area ‘Living together’ the least utilized. Students reflected little influence on the choice of content areas, as teaching experiments were mainly conducted at the same time as teaching practice. Learning theories that emphasized interactive learning proved to be popular. Comprehensiveness was manifested primarily through fulfillment of comprehensive goals and the selection of thematic contents that support the formation of a broader understanding. The usefulness of the course ’Teacher as a researcher’ leans strongly in experimentation of new methods and the use of digital technology in teaching. Such skills have been proven necessary as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed teaching practices in schools.

Sustainable food education aims to promote consumers' knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values related to the sustainable food system. In the national curriculum for basic education (2014) the topics related to the sustainable food system are present especially in home economics. Based on previous studies, one factor that affects the implementation of sustainable food education in home economics is the teaching material dealing with the subject area. However, little research has been done on sustainable food education and related teaching materials. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Finnish home economics textbooks support sustainable food education. In this study the textbooks were seen as tools of sustainable food education. The research objectives were to study what topics related to sustainable food consumption are presented in the home economics textbooks and what values are present within the texts. The research material consisted of three home economics textbooks published after the current national curriculum for basic education (2014). The investigation focused on the texts which concerned both sustainability and food consumption. The data was analyzed with a qualitative theory-based content analysis. Shalom Schwartz's value theory was used in the examination of values. The studied home economics textbooks cover sustainable food consumption extensively and the contents in the three studied textbooks are rather similar. The textbooks depict sustainable food consumption as food consumption that promotes individual’s health and well-being, is ecological and economical, ethical, and responsible and in which planning and moderation of consumption and maintaining one’s own food culture and traditions are important. In practice, this implies avoiding food waste and favoring local and organic food to mention a few. In the context of sustainable food consumption health is the most emphasized value in the textbooks. The values of universalism, benevolence, and tradition are also relevant, while hedonism and conformity are given less importance. The research provides information on the contents related to sustainable food consumption in the textbooks. This information can help identify gaps in the teaching materials and support supplementing them.

A lot of previous research on the meaning of food already exists. However, the meaning of food when pregnant has been studied very and therefore the purpose of this study was to fill this gap. Previous studies have shown that today’s consumers are not able to avoid making choices in relation to the food they consume but instead encounters them every day. Food choices on the other hand create tensions between the consumer and consumption when trying to integrate cultural and social pressures and standards with their own freedom of choice. The chosen and unselected foods in turn reflect the meanings that food receives and expresses. The aim of the study is to unravel the meanings of food while pregnant and to examine the tensions behind it using the binary categories developed by Mäkelä (2002). Also other studies concerning the binary categories are used. The study was carried out as a qualitative study using the narrative approach. The research data were collected from pregnant and within a year pregnant people during summer 2022 using the University of Helsinki’s e-form. The study invitation to write was distributed on Facebook in private Baby Groups and among those close to the researcher. The final data of the study consisted of 27 narratives from 19 to 42 years old respondents. The data were analysed by using a directed content analysis, utilizing in particular the conceptualization of Mäkelä's (2002) binary categories. As a result of the study, seven main meaning classes were formed to describe the meanings of food during pregnancy: food as discipline, food as a risk and threat, food as nourishment, food as identity and ideologies, food as a source of sensations and feelings, food as social relations and food as a source of health and well-being. In addition, the main meaning classes were divided into 17 additional upper meaning classes. Especially during pregnancy, food recommendations and restrictions, which appeared to be clearly shared norms, seemed to have an impact on the meanings of food. A distinct link behind the meanings of food to tensions was found. Based on these meanings of food, pregnant women find the healthy development of the fetus very important and therefore the binary categories concerning health and danger were highlighted in the narratives. It would be important to provide support from health care and from close ones so the pregnant mother would not be left alone with encountered tensions but would rather be able to enjoy the social side of food in addition to the child growing in the womb.