Browsing by Subject "kehonkuva"

The purpose of this study is to explore information about the experiences of home economics teachers on their body image and appearance, and the effects that these factors have on their work. A person's body image consists of many factors, of which appearance, body figure and experienced body mass are central to this study. As a school-subject, home economics deals with life management, which includes themes like coping with everyday life and nutrition awareness. Contemporary issues such as highlighted body awareness, everybody's possibility to share what they view as a healthy lifestyle along with the changing conception of well-being make the position of home economics teachers, who teach these very topics, especially interesting. An authentic teacher is not in conflict with her teaching, is inspiring, respectful and appreciates her subject. How does a home economics teacher then position herself and her body in a functional classroom? The main research questions are 1. a) How do home economics teachers view their body image? 1. b) What factors affect their body image? 2. How are professionalism, teaching and acting in work community related to the experienced body image? This study focuses on personal and lived experiences and the data were collected using the qualitative theme interview method in the fall of 2014. The data were analysed with the qualitative content analysis method through clustering the experiences and aiming at local explaining. The participants had different experiences and their description remained somewhat shallow. The participating home economics teachers are mainly happy with their body or at least on their way to its acceptance. The essential factors affecting body image are overall well-being, a healthy lifestyle, factors related to mood and feedback from others. All of these factors can also be seen to relate partly to the teacher's body. In accordance with contemporary culture, the participants view their body as changeable. For a home economics teacher, the body is an important work tool that cannot be in conflict with the substance matter being taught. It is an example body that signals the correct way to position oneself in a home economics environment when it comes to hygiene as well as overall practice. It is also a model of what a body can be like in this world. It is considered important to set an example of acceptance, presence and respect also through facial expressions and gestures. A home economics teacher is part of a work community and has a strong professional identity in which the body plays a minor role. Home economics teachers seem to have a separate professional body image. The role of the body in teaching is mostly constructed through personal reflection in the course of work experience – it is therefore essential to consider whether the position of the body in the work environment should be taken to account at an earlier point in the career.

There has been a public debate about the desire of very young children to lose weight and their dissatisfaction with their own bodies. A negative body image has been found to be associated with low self-esteem, eating disorders, mental health problems, and being overweight. By promoting a positive body image children’s body satisfaction, self-esteem, and internalization of body ideals can be improved. Teachers have found that their means of dealing with the body images of children and body diversity are inadequate. The purpose of this study is to uncover ways in which teachers can promote students to have a positive body image. The study also aims to identify the challenges teachers face in promoting students to develop a positive body image. The study seeks to produce information for people working in the field of education, as there is lack of research on promoting a positive body image in a Finnish school context. The research data of this study was collected through semi-structured interviews of three classroom teachers and three special class teachers. The study and its analysis were conducted using a phenomenographic approach. The results of the study show that interviewees considered the greatest challenges to promoting a positive body image those at school, such as the example of the adults, what they say, their attitudes and, self-awareness. They saw the lack of education and of teaching materials on this topic as major challenges. Addition challenges to promoting a positive body image were recognized outside of school, such as social ideals of beauty, social media discourse, and the impact of other environments, such as at home and connected to hobbies. The student's own negative attitude towards their own or others' bodies was also recognized as a challenge. The most important means of promoting a positive body image were the interaction between the teacher and the students, the ways of working in everyday school life, multiliteracy, and promoting self-esteem and body-esteem. The interaction between the teacher and the students was found to be particularly important, and teachers felt that joint discussion was the most natural way to promote a positive body image. Also significant was teaching students skills such as multiliteracy and emotional skills. These results are in line with the ways of promoting a positive body image found in previous studies.