Modern Aspects of Home Economics Education and Slovenia

Home economics operates in the academic, curriculum and social realms, as well as in everyday life. Due to its multidisciplinarity, it includes and interconnects the contents of different disciplines (e.g., healthy lifestyle, nutrition, dietetics, textiles, home, family, consumption, personal and family economics, design and technology), which are considered in terms of meeting the needs of the individual, family, and society. Home economics education and literacy play an important role in acquiring knowledge and skills that help raise the quality of life of the individual, family, and society. With the development of society, the needs of both the individual and the family are changing; therefore, changes are also needed in home economics education, which is reflected in the updating of the subject curricula. The goals and contents in the curriculum must reflect and meet the needs of the current society and take into account the cultural dependence and social determinism of the home economics field. To a certain extent, the current curriculum of the subject home economics in Slovene elementary schools already includes some content areas that have been recognised as important for meeting the needs of society. These relate to healthy lifestyle, nutrition, health, textiles, consumption, economics, family, environment and sustainable development. Given the perceived needs of society, the use of household appliances, home contents, and first aid should be additionally included in home economics education in Slovenia, and students should be encouraged to develop social and communication skills. It is also necessary to consider the appropriate placement of the subject in the curriculum, as it is necessary to implement home economics education in the entire elementary school education. Doing so will enable the acquisition of knowledge and skills needed in society and, therefore, the appropriate level of home economics literacy of the individual.

Download Full-text

Development of Home Economics Education for Life Quality in Latvia

10.22616/llu9789984483689 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Aija Pridane ◽

Natalja Vronska ◽

Iveta Lice-Zikmane ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prospective Teachers ◽

Life Quality ◽

Quality Criteria ◽

Home Economics ◽

Design And Technology ◽

Economics Education ◽

Digital Learning ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

University Level ◽

Home Economics Education

The research “Development of Home Economics Education for Life Quality in Latvia” is based on authors’ experience gained in long-term activities. The study is a scientific monograph, the materials is approbated in authors’ doctoral thesis and in scientific publications. The Home Economics education in Latvia has significantly changed from the acquisition of a simple, practical, narrow specification profession to the conscious, all-around development of a pupil’s individuality aimed at awareness of the quality of life and purposeful action to improve its quality. The aim of the book is to introduce the public to different aspects of the development of Home Economics and Technologies (Design and Technology) education for life quality in Latvia at schools and at University level. This book describes the research done by authors within Home Economics and Technologies sphere during 2000-2020 years in Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU), Institute of Education and Home Economics. Here are described the historical development of the Home Economics from 19th century until nowadays in Latvia, the change of paradigm of Home Economics studies, relationship between various aspects of the education in Home Economics and Technologies in the context of sustainable development, methodology structure for training teachers of Home Economics and Technologies at University level, understanding of life quality criteria of Home Economics and Technologies education in elementary school, research of pupils nutrition habits; the Information and Communication Technology Integration Skills Development Model in Home Economics and Technologies education for prospective teachers based on transformative digital learning, integration and student-centred approach implementation in the study process. The book is intended for researchers, University lecturers, teachers, master students, students, and other interested parties. The book is print with the financial support of the Association “School of Home Environment”.

Download Full-text

The Role of Home Economics Education in the 21st Century: The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Disruptor, Accelerator, and Future Shaper

Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal ◽

10.26529/cepsj.1205 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 13-32

Author(s):

Donna Pendergast

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Textual Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Home Economics ◽

Economics Education ◽

Food Literacy ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Individual Family ◽

Home Economics Education

This paper explores the role of home economics education in the 21st century. It commences with an explanation of the disruption to the five predicted future global megatrends – globalisation, urbanisation, digitisation, cybersecurity, sustainability – as a consequence of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The place of megatrends framing home economics is explored by presenting a textual analysis of a literacy publication created as an acceleration point for framing the next one hundred years of home economics and underpinned by global megatrends, published prior to the pandemic. Using the Voyant Tool, visualisations of the book Creating Home Economics Futures: The Next 100 Years are presented and compared to other key literary documents informing the field. The paper then turns to the ways in which education and learning have led to the repositioning of home economics as a field and home economics literacy as the key strategy for ensuring the field continues to remain relevant into the future. Priority areas for education include food literacy; individual, family and community well-being; and the reconstitution of the place of the home.

Download Full-text