Framework factors’ impact on the quality of teaching Food and Health in lower primary school

Abstract

The subject Food and Health in Norwegian lower primary school has competence goals after grade 4, but few studies have investigated the impact of framework factors for teaching Food and Health at this level. In this study, teachers and management were interviewed and differences between schools related to framework factors were in­vestigated, such as teachers’ educational level, physical, organizational, and financial factors. Twenty-four interviews were conducted, 9 with principals and 15 with Food and Health teachers, at 12 schools from different parts of Norway. Despite short teaching experience and the lack of formal education in the subject, both teachers and their management felt they had enough competence to teach this subject in grades 1–4. The teachers have great autonomy when it comes to the content of the subject. Findings show that a fixed number of lessons in the curriculum has a beneficial influence on the priority of Food and Health in primary schools. Teachers have minimal spending when it comes to buying food or new equipment. Not all schools have teaching kitchens available for first to fourth graders, which can lead to talking about food instead of preparing it. Despite old equipment, teachers feel it is good enough for teaching grades 1–4, but state that shared use of the teaching kitchen is a major challenge.

Keywords: Home Economics, Food and Health, framework factors, budget, equipment, teacher qualifications, lower primary school