Sustainability issues as infused in the Home Economics practical component: an exploratory study

Abstract

Sustainability features in different topics in the Home Economics (HE) syllabus and is a key aspect to be considered during practical sessions. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is essential to empower people and bring about change. The general aim of this study was to see how junior and senior HE students considered sustainability throughout their practical sessions; i.e. during the Preparation, Realisation and Evaluation phases of this coursework. The study was divided into three stages and different research tools were used to satisfy this aim. First, observations were conducted with Form 3 first years and Form 4 students to discover and evaluate which sustainability factors students took into account or neglected during their practical sessions, and whether an additional year of HE training made a difference. A survey was then conducted with teachers and curriculum professionals to get a wider view of the issue under study. Finally, a Student's Guidebook was produced and trialled in different lessons to help fill the gap that was found from the previous two phases.