Introduction
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) exposes students to real world workplace experiences and integrating it with community development and research contributes to the development of graduate attributes. The aim is to present an ethnographic account of the approach followed to integrate WIL experiences with community development and research in the final year of study in the Department of Consumer Sciences at the University of Zululand.
Approach
Annually 25 to 30 final year students are registered for the final year of a Consumer Sciences degree program in Extension and Rural Development. In preparation for WIL placement, students attend a series of workshops and a Research Methods course. During WIL placement students collect data and do presentations. Students' experiences are documented using Padlet, reflective discussions, and evaluations. Student feedback indicates that the approach allows them to apply knowledge in practical situations, develop communication skills and grow in confidence.
Conclusion
This approach requires dedicated staff and students willing to take responsibility for their own learning. Effectiveness of the approach requires staff to reflect regularly on practices and adapt to student, community, and institutional needs. Student inputs and feedback are crucial to the success of a student-centred approach.

At- risk youth have a history of challenges in various aspects of their lives. These youth may be found in a variety of alternative educational programs and may be a particular challenge to engage in learning activities due to negative experiences in traditional educational settings. Experiential learning programs and other nontraditional methods provide a unique opportunity to deliver education in new, distinctive ways as educators can tailor curriculum to meet specific needs.
Using an array of resources educators build capacity for independent living and resiliency by concentrating on communication, self-care, fiscal management, conflict resolution, and other life skills. Programs address risky behaviors and topics not readily tackled in a classroom setting. These skills encourage sustainability and self-support.
The experiential learning theory assisted educators in modifying their behavior and teaching strategies to include hands-on, relatable aspects to all sessions in which youth could be successful and provide safe spaces in which youth could learn from their peers.
Quantitative evaluation of the programs concluded all the youth evaluated demonstrated an increase in knowledge pertaining to these topics, with largest knowledge gains in the areas of career development and financial literacy.

The increasing number of migrants in Finland has prompted educators to quickly develop pedagogical approaches to serve the diversity of learners in both home economics and craft education. The practical orientation in both subjects offers a special space for dialogical learning. This research explores the ways in which teachers of these subjects create culturally responsive learning spaces for dialogical hands-on learning. Together with Finnish as a second language experts, five learning units have been developed to serve the dialogical hands-on language learning approach. The learning units are half-day workshops with multiple tasks. The learning units were tested and further developed through engagement in reflective practice. In-depth interviews with experienced teachers (n=20) were conducted to capture the creative pedagogical practices used when teaching diverse learners. The novelty of this research lies in the collaboration between home economics and craft science scholars together with Finnish as a second language experts to develop language-sensitive pedagogy in practical teaching and learning. The research builds knowledge about how Finnish as a second language learners can simultaneously learn both skills and language needed in everyday life, thus facilitating the settlement process. The results will contribute to building the capacity of Finnish teachers in culturally responsive pedagogy.

This presentation delves into the enactment of practical Home Economics pedagogy, specifically examining the policy perspective and the pivotal role of stakeholder voices. Employing a qualitative interpretive paradigm, in-depth interviews were conducted with various stakeholders significantly involved in shaping educational policies. The study rigorously applied a policy analysis framework, drawing inspiration from educational theories such as Bernstein and Ball, to illuminate the multi dimensional dynamics of practical pedagogy and its alignment with educational policies.

The incorporation of stakeholder voices in the pedagogical discourse emerges as a key focal point. The stakeholders, offer diverse experiences, insights, and perspective that serve as a valuable resource for shaping pedagogical practices that are not only effective but also student-centred and inclusive.

This presentation serves as a window into the transformation of the educational landscape when these stakeholder voices are not merely acknowledged but actively integrated into policy-making and pedagogical practices. The outcome is a dynamic and adaptive education environment that caters to the ever evolving needs of students and the broader education community.

Home Economics is a mandatory school subject for students in grade 1-9 in Swedish compulsory school. Students often work in groups when completing practical tasks. The aim of this study was to examine how students aged 14-16 experience such group work. How was the group work organized? What did the students think was most important when working in groups? A total of 22 individual interviews were conducted and then analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicated that students preferred working with someone they knew well because it impacted communication, efficiency, a sense of fun and how much support they received from each other. Students expressed that the teachers organized the groups, but they organized the division of tasks in the group themselves. A limitation for the study is that it only includes students from three different schools. Nevertheless, it shows the importance of clarifying the purpose of group work in Home Economics.

The aim of this study is to make visible the negotiations between pupils and to understand how negotiations are constructed in the home economics classroom. Future competencies such as communication, collaboration skills and problem solving are stated in the Finnish National Core Curriculum. Additionally, collaboration and interaction skills, including negotiation skills are one of the goals of home economics education in Finland. Besides the formal curriculum, pupils also learn these future skills while interacting with their peers during classroom activities.
In this study, negotiations are considered as informal decision-making or problem-solving situations, very probably not even recognized as negotiations by the pupils.

This qualitative case study was conducted in one upper comprehensive school in Finland with three groups of 7th grade pupils. The data were collected through video recordings in authentic classroom situations and methodological framework was based on multimodal interaction analysis focusing on the embodied (e.g. talk, gestures, postures) and the disembodied (e.g. artefacts, material context) interaction.
The findings highlight the multiple modalities pupils use in negotiations to solve problems or overcome disagreements in order to proceed with activities. This study offers tools for the teachers to support pupils´ negotiation skills.