This paper explores the motivations and experiences of pre-service home economics (HE) teacher education students in Ireland who entered their course of study via the Access to Post-Primary Teaching (APT) project. The project aims to widen participation in higher education and created a new entry-route into HE teacher education degrees for students taking selected courses in further education and training (FET) colleges.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted at the end of their first year of study with 11 students who entered a HE teacher education degree programme via APT in the years 2018-2020. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, verified, and analysed thematically according to Braun & Clarke’s (2006) analytic framework.

Positive experiences of HE classes in secondary school, a strong personal interest in and love of the subject and having supportive HE teachers were identified as important motivational factors. Participants viewed both their experience of FET and taking part in pre-entry APT activities as very beneficial in preparing them for teacher education.

This project illustrates how teacher education can promote equity and diversity in recruitment practices. The approach employed in the APT project has potential to be applied to other situations where recruitment to post-primary HE teacher education is a concern.

This study examines challenges faced by Swedish Home Economics (HE) and Physical Education and Health (PEH) teachers when teaching health, lifestyle, and sustainability. Data from a small qualitative survey was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, leading to the construction of four key themes.
1. "Lack of Resources": Teachers encountered difficulties due to inadequate materials, lack of colleague support, economic constraints, and poorly equipped classrooms. More time for teaching and preparation was crucial.
2. "Low Student Performance": Teachers grappled with students lacking prior knowledge and motivation. Projects spanning several weeks suffered when students missed steps, impacting their understanding.
3. "Student Resistance": In HE, they challenged health and sustainability concepts. In PEH, they resisted physical activities and theoretical discussions.
4. "Sensitive Issues and Ethical Dilemmas": Teachers navigated sensitive topics like health, allergies, mental health, and socio-economic disparities. To handle this, they adapted their language and encouraged critical thinking.
Based on these findings, we recommend allocating more resources to HE and PEH, and providing in-service training to help teachers keep up with the latest research and innovative teaching methods. We also encourage scholarly debate around how to interpret and navigate the sensitive topics included in the syllabi.

This work focuses on the challenges of becoming a home economics teacher in Estonia. Home economics teachers are not specifically specialized; rather, they receive education in a combined specialty of handicraft and home economics, which consequently leads to the integration of these subjects within the school curriculum. To examine the experiences of becoming a handicraft and home economics teacher in Estonia, a qualitative approach was used to collect data from the handicraft and home economics student teachers (n=4) with both written and oral methods. The results underscore several challenges encountered by student teachers during their studies, particularly in developing a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the multifaceted handling of the home economics subject during teaching practice. The uncertain distribution of handicraft and home economics subjects in schools, varying school environments affecting learning conditions, and resource availability, alongside students' predominant expectation of practical cooking in home economics education, emerged as significant factors. Previous studies of teachers in other countries have also pointed out such challenges in teaching home economics. A simplified and narrow view of home economics education is a challenge to overcome in preparing new teachers in Estonia.

Finland is known as a model country for equal education. The study deals with the possibilities of organizing home economics education in Finnish primary schools. In this study, teaching organization resources are considered, as time, group size, class and equipment’s, budget, the possibility of using assistants and ICT and teaching materials. 111 home economics teachers filled out an electronic questionnaire. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. According to this study teaching time frames and group sizes vary in schools and put pupils in an unequal position. Home economics teachers could be classified into three groups in k-mean cluster analyses: 1) resources mostly in order (n=61), 2) resources lacking (n=40) and 3) resources lacking in many areas (n=10). 55 explained resource problems by answering an open question. Theory-driven content analysis was used to evaluate the dysfunctionality of home economics classroom. The evaluation criteria were technical, functional, and behavioral (Malin 2011). The observation made in this study that the resources for home economics education in schools are not equal is important for researchers in the field, for the development of home economics teacher training, and for the municipalities responsible for organizing basic education.

Introduction: Home Economics in Maltese secondary schools includes a practical component, where students choose and prepare a dish following theoretical or demonstration lessons. The value of practical sessions may not always be recognised. However, philosopher Dewey (1938), the constructivism theory and educational theorist Kolb (1984) advocated active methodologies as ideal for learning. This study investigated the practical component’s role in teaching and learning, whether this is enhanced, and whether it helps students acquire skills, other than food-preparation skills.

Method: A mixed-methods approach was adopted. 120 questionnaires were distributed to all Home Economics teachers, and five year 11 students were interviewed. Contrary to other studies, this study ensured students were given a voice, as their contributions were deemed valuable.

Findings: Results showed that through being actively involved and engaged, the practical component supports teachers, enhances learning and could increase motivation and deepen understanding of theoretical lessons. Also, beyond culinary skills, these sessions support holistic development through developing skills, including 21st century skills.

Conclusions: This study highlighted the need for hands-on sessions in schools, whilst making recommendations for teachers to optimise the practical component. Findings also suggest the path which our educational system could adopt to address students’ needs and enhance learning.

The aim of consumer education is to educate citizens to manage their personal finances and recognize the environmental and societal impacts of their consumer practices (McGregor, 2018). The ecological crisis and digitalization of consumer culture have highlighted the need for critical reflection and further development of current consumer pedagogy (OECD, 2009). Our study focuses on the topics, methods, and learning environments that Finnish home economics (HE) teachers deem relevant and applicable in the teaching of consumer skills. The data were collected from HE teachers through an open-ended questionnaire (n = 95) and semi-structured interviews (n = 6). Our findings indicate that the consumer perspective is embedded in various HE subject areas, such as money management, cooking, and domestic skills, and that teachers utilize versatile pedagogic methods and learning environments, including in-class activities, online pedagogy, field trips, and discussions with parents. However, as the overall focus of HE teaching is on food education, consumer issues are typically approached from the food perspective. Future consumer pedagogy should be developed toward a more comprehensive approach that captures the lifeworld of young people (e.g., fashion, media culture) in order to enable meaningful and transformative learning experiences.