An exploration of innovations for teaching home economics the views and experiences of home economics teachers and students in teacher education universities in Ghana

Abstract

The study explored innovations in teaching from the perspectives of Home Economics teacher educators in teacher education universities in Ghana. The study provides the avenue to help bridge the gap between theory and practice in Home Economics since such studies are rare as compared to Mathematics and pure sciences. The study examined innovative practices employed in teaching Home Economics, ways in which the approaches adopted promote the learning of Home Economics, and the barriers to innovative teaching of Home Economics. A qualitative study using the case study approach was adopted. Using the purposive maximal variation sampling technique, a total of twenty-two (22) participants were sampled, comprising eight (8) lecturers (two males and six females) and fourteen (14) students (five males and nine females). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observations, and data analysed thematically. The study revealed that Home Economics teacher educators use a combination of strategies to make the lessons innovative. Furthermore, integrating innovative pedagogical technologies promote the learning of concepts in Home Economics. Also, intermittent power outages, internet connectivity fluctuations and difficulty in reading from projected slides in large classes were found to be barriers to innovation integration. The study concluded that Home Economics teacher educators were aware of the importance of innovation integration in teaching and learning however, they lacked the expertise for its integration to enhance learning. The study proposed the establishment of technology and technical support units to provide the needed support for lecturers to upgrade their knowledge and skills in innovative pedagogy integration.