Browsing by Subject "opettajan käsitykset"

Home economics is a school subject where interaction is emphasized. The subject also emphasizes interaction between students. According to previous studies, the interaction between teacher and student has significant effects on learning, motivation and school engagement. This study investigated home economics teachers’ conceptions of the interaction between the teacher and their pupils. In addition, the study identified interactive situations and the contributing factors. The study also focused on the importance of the physical classroom, and how it affects the teacher-student interaction. This study was carried out as a phenomenographic study. Data were collected by interviewing six home economics teachers. All teachers were women and they were 26 to 55 years old. They had worked as home economics teachers for two to thirty years. Semi-structured theme interviewing method was used when carrying out the interviews. Data analysis is based on phenomenographic approach. The interaction between the teacher and the student was understood as a two-way encounter between two individuals. Teachers felt that both the teacher and the student have an important role in interaction. The teachers had also a role of an adult in the classroom. According to teachers' views, the role of students in interaction was emphasized in making initiatives and how teachers’ attention was received. Interaction situations occurred both during teaching and elsewhere in school. The classroom was seen to affect the interaction between the teacher and the student. According to the teachers, it was important to keep an eye contact with each student. When teachers chose their favorite place in the classroom, it was a spot where they were close to their students. In those moments, the teachers felt that they could create interactive relationships. The interaction between the teacher and the student makes teachers’ work meaningful. It is also the reason, why teachers like to work in schools. Teacher education ought to develop teacher students’ abilities to face different students. In addition, decisions both at school district and national level, such as the size of teaching group, have implications for the teacher's resources to create meaningful interaction.