Aims and challenges of handicraft and home economics education in Estonia

Abstract

Handicraft and home economics (HHE) are two school subjects taught as one subject by one teacher in Estonian comprehensive schools. The current article describes the development of the subject through certain historic periods that have affected the nature and teaching of the subject. The aim of this article is to determine HHE teachers’ understandings of the subject's aims and challenges. Two focus group interviews with nine HHE teachers in two geographically located places in Estonia were conducted. Transcriptions were analysed qualitatively with the ATLAS.ti program. Inductive thematic analysis revealed three main themes: the aims of the subjects, the teaching process and the learning environment. The last two themes are the main challenges in teachers’ everyday practice. Outcomes characterizing the subjects’ aims reveal teachers’ concerns about students’ knowledge and skills needed in the future, for example, how to manage their everyday life. Emerged challenges are related to organizational, economic and social aspects, for example, the mandatory exchange of study groups, divergent conditions and students’ poor handicraft skills. The main idea to work on is the promoting of the importance of the subject and separation of the handicraft and home economics lessons.