The viewpoints of currently employed home economics professors on the incorporation of environmentally conscious subjects into their academic courses.

Abstract

The pursuit of ecologically sound growth, which is crucial for the well-being of both present and future generations, is a primary objective in the field of home economics. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which home economics students and professionals are aware of the potential to include sustainable development principles into their instruction. Furthermore, the researchers evaluated the participants' capacity to recognize and incorporate particular sustainable development-related topics into home economics courses. The results were obtained from a representative sample of 89 home economics instructors from Slovenia who took part in a survey. A significant amount of careful thought was put into the selecting procedure of these educators. Prior to analysis, the results underwent both qualitative and quantitative assessments. According to the study's findings, home economics instructors now working in the sector are aware of how their courses promote sustainable development education. The general consensus is that the fields of food production and residential building provide greater opportunities for adopting ecologically sustainable techniques, whereas the textile sector and commercial enterprises offer fewer options in comparison. This is apparent from the current educational system's focus on subsistence technologies and living conditions in sustainability courses. The study's findings indicate that currently employed home economics educators consider unrestricted access to chances for continuous professional development to be crucial. In order to teach sustainable development as an integrated component of the home economics curriculum, it is necessary for them to acquire these talents. There is a growing need to revise the curriculum in order to take advantage of the numerous opportunities provided by this particular subject matter to educate adolescents about sustainable living issues. This requirement is becoming more and more pressing.

Keywords: teaching home economics, sustainable development, and how to teach for sustainable development