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Lost entrepreneurship opportunities: the crisis in Consumer Studies education.
Abstract
Consumer Studies as school subject offers not only entrepreneurial knowledge content, but also the practical skills necessary to make entrepreneurship a real-life possibility for learners. Well-trained Consumer Studies teachers are able to support entrepreneurship development in learners as part of the curriculum content. However, a review of the subject field indicates that there has been a serious decline in the number of institutions offering teacher preparation in Consumer Studies, both internationally and in South Africa, due to a variety of factors. The resultant low number of Consumer Studies teachers being trained impacts on the amount of learners who could be empowered with concrete entrepreneurial knowledge and skills through Consumer Studies. Role players in the education industry are concerned about the lost opportunities for education this will result in, including lost entrepreneurship prospects for learners. Practical suggestions for resolving this possible crisis in South African Consumer Studies education is pursued as part of the research.
... Challenges include insufficient infrastructure (Ngwenya & Shange, 2019); crowded classrooms (Du Toit, 2018;Inn, 2017); limited teaching time (Inn, 2017), or lack of resources (Du Toit, 2018;Inn, 2017). However, the challenge most often mentioned is inadequate training of teachers (Du Toit, 2018;Inn, 2017;Koekemoer & Booyse, 2013;Umalusi, 2014). Teacher education is often viewed as ineffective, in particular due to the gap between theory and practice. ...
... Teachers who have inadequate training for a complex subject such as Consumer Studies and who are then faced with additional real-world challenges, such as those mentioned above, will have a difficult time to effectively implement the subject, which will be to the detriment of their learners (Koekemoer & Booyse, 2013). ...
Teaching Consumer Studies is often complicated, particularly in practical lessons which contribute significant formal learning, but which requires the management of countless problems to ensure that learners benefit optimally. Preparation of preservice Consumer Studies teachers should, therefore, include insight into the problems experienced in real-world practical classes. In addition, teacher students should be equipped with the 21st-century skills they will need to deal with such challenges. These issues were imperative for inclusion in a recently-developed module for preservice Consumer Studies teachers, to bridge the gap-utilizing problem-based learning-between the teacher preparation program and the real-world challenges teachers face in South African classrooms. A mixed methods research design explored if and to what extent problem-based learning developed the 21st-century skills that are needed to prepare Consumer Studies teachers for real-world practical classrooms. Pre-and post-module questionnaires and classroom observations were inductively analysed. The findings showed that most students believed that the module greatly improved or developed several of their 21st-century skills and that the problem-based strategy was perceived as useful. A similar problem-based approach is recommended for subsequent Consumer Studies teacher preparation modules, particularly to develop students' 21st-century skills and to prepare them for the real-world challenges they might encounter.
... Regrettably, several studies have reported that teachers are not implementing these preferred pedagogies effectively (Koekemoer & Booyse 2013;Powell 2013;Sørensen & Davidsen 2017) and are not frequently collaborating with experts (Du Toit 2018), which will diminish the value of this learning for learners. Related to this finding, it emerged that numerous studies recommend that teachers must be specifically trained to support their implementation of the specific and preferred pedagogies for entrepreneurship education (David et al. 2018;Du Toit & Gaotlhobogwe 2018;Koekemoer & Booyse 2013) and for the SDL process (Golightly 2016;Michalsky & Schechter 2013). ...
... Regrettably, several studies have reported that teachers are not implementing these preferred pedagogies effectively (Koekemoer & Booyse 2013;Powell 2013;Sørensen & Davidsen 2017) and are not frequently collaborating with experts (Du Toit 2018), which will diminish the value of this learning for learners. Related to this finding, it emerged that numerous studies recommend that teachers must be specifically trained to support their implementation of the specific and preferred pedagogies for entrepreneurship education (David et al. 2018;Du Toit & Gaotlhobogwe 2018;Koekemoer & Booyse 2013) and for the SDL process (Golightly 2016;Michalsky & Schechter 2013). Consequently, there is a real and immediate need to include the value and effective application of these pedagogies in the education of student teachers. ...
... Nasionale statistieke toon dat die getal Graad 12-leerders, wat die matriekeindeksamen in Verbruikerstudie geskryf het, van 30 736 in 2008 tot 38 511 in 2014 toegeneem het (DBO 2015). Verbruikerstudie-vakinhoud is dinamies, en onderwysers in hierdie vak kan daarom nie slegs staatmaak op die vakinhoudelike kennis en vaardighede wat hulle gedurende hul voordiensopleiding opgedoen het nie (Koekemoer & Booyse 2013). Hierdie onderwysers moet gevolglik maniere vind om lewenslank te leer om sodoende op hoogte te bly van die nuutste ontwikkelings in die vakgebied, asook om te voldoen aan die uitdagings wat die 21ste eeu aan onderrig en leer stel. ...
... Die kurrikulum stipuleer byvoorbeeld dat wanneer Suid-Afrikaanse belastingwette verander, Verbruikerstudie-onderwysers die heel nuutste opgedateerde inhoud moet onderrig (DBO 2011). Verbruikerstudieonderwysers kan dus nie slegs steun op kennis en vaardighede wat hulle gedurende hul universiteitsopleiding geleer het nie, maar moet lewenslange, selfgerigte leerders word om tred te hou met die veranderende vakinhoud (Koekemoer & Booyse 2013;Kunkwenzu 2007). Die opleiding van Verbruikerstudie-onderwysstudente behoort daarom strategieë in te sluit wat lewenslange, selfgerigte leer kan bevorder. ...
Die implementering van projekgebaseerde leer het die potensiaal om affektiewe faktore in
studente positief te ontwikkel wat selfgerigte lewenslange leer kan bevorder. Lewenslange
leer is ’n sleutelvereiste vir onderwysers om relevant kundig in hulle vakgebied te bly, asook
om aan die vereistes te kan voldoen wat aan leerders en onderwysers in die 21ste eeu gestel
word. Dit is veral belangrik vir onderwysers wat Verbruikerstudie, ’n dinamiese en waardevolle
vak in Suid-Afrikaanse skole, aanbied. Die bevordering van selfgerigte lewenslange leer as
deel van die opleiding van Verbruikerstudie-onderwysstudente is dus noodsaaklik.
Verskillende affektiewe faktore, byvoorbeeld motivering, dra by tot die bevordering van leer
wat ontwikkel kan word deur die keuse van gepaste onderrig-leerstrategieë. Affek kan leer
deur geheueprosesse, leerprosesse, aandagspan, ervarings en motivering beïnvloed.
’n Gevallestudie is onderneem om ondersoek in te stel op welke wyse projekgebaseerde leer
in ’n opleidingsprogram vir Verbruikerstudie-onderwysstudente bydra tot die ontwikkeling
van affektiewe faktore en hoe dit hulle leer bevorder. Studente wat vir ’n Verbruikerstudieopleidingsprogram
geregistreer is, is as deelnemers geselekteer en data is deur middel van
oop vraelyste, weeklikse refleksie, asook fokusgroep- en individuele onderhoude ingesamel.
Die bevindinge bevestig dat die toepassing van projekgebaseerde leer bygedra het tot die
bevordering van verskeie affektiewe faktore, maar in die besonder motivering, die waarde wat
die studente aan leer heg, asook die ontwikkeling van ’n positiewe houding jeens leer. Hierdie
affektiewe faktore dra by tot die ontwikkeling en bevordering van positiewe leerervarings.
Ontwikkelaars van voorbereidingsprogramme vir Verbruikerstudie-onderwysstudente sou
hierdie inligting kon implementeer ter versterking van sulke programme. Verdere navorsing
kan gedoen word aangaande die verband tussen projekgebaseerde leer en ander affektiewe
faktore wat leer kan ondersteun in Verbruikerstudie-onderwysersopleiding.
Consumer Studies student teachers’ affective experiences during project-based learning.
The implementation of project-based learning has the potential to develop affective factors
positively in students, which may foster self-directed lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is a
key requirement for teachers to keep current and knowledgeable in their fields of expertise, as
well as to satisfy the demands set for learners and teachers in the 21st century. This is especially
important for teachers in Consumer Studies ‒ a dynamic and valuable subject in South African
schools. Promoting lifelong, self-directed learning as part of the training of Consumer Studies
student teachers is therefore essential. Several affective factors, for example motivation,
contribute to the promotion of learning and can be developed through the selection of
appropriate teaching-learning strategies. Affect can influence learning through memory
processes, learning processes, attention span, experiences and motivation. A case study was
undertaken to investigate how project-based learning contribute to affective factors within an
existing university training programme for Consumer Studies student teachers and how it
promotes their learning. Students registered for a Consumer Studies teacher preparation
programme were selected as participants and data collected by means of open-ended
questionnaires, weekly reflections, as well as focus group and individual interview sessions.
Findings indicate that the application of project-based learning promoted affective factors in
the student teachers, especially motivation, the value they placed on learning, as well as the
development of a positive attitude towards learning ‒ all of which contribute to the promotion
and development of positive learning experiences. Developers of preparation programmes for
Consumer Studies student teachers could implement this information to enhance such
programmes. Possibilities exist for further research regarding the connection between projectbased
learning and other affective factors contributing to learning in Consumer Studies
student teacher preparation programmes
... Consumer Studies was introduced into the South African secondary school curriculum as part of the outcomes-based RNCS that was implemented after the country's first democratic elections. Consumer Studies replaced Home Economics in the preceding curriculum and therefore share similar roots in the form of several topics, such as food and nutrition, clothing and budgeting (DBE, 2011;Koekemoer & Booyse, 2013;Umalusi, 2014), despite the subjects having different foci. Whereas Home Economics focused on the needs of the family, Consumer Studies focuses on the consumer as central concept (Umalusi, 2014). ...
Including culture and cultural diversity in curricula contributes to the quality of education. Culture and indigenous knowledge are closely related, and the inclusion of the latter will add to the perceived value of such knowledge, as well as connect learning to the everyday lives of learners. If indigenous knowledge is to be promoted, the curricula of subjects with the potential to contribute to such learning, needs to be investigated. Consumer Studies, a secondary school subject in South Africa, includes a variety of topics in which indigenous knowledge could be manifest but research is limited. An investigation into the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the school curricula of this subject was therefore launched. This was based on a ‘two sides of the same coin’ theoretical framework. A collaborative, structured curriculum analysis approach, guided by an existing validated instrument, was used to identify incidences of, or references to, indigenous knowledge and/or culture in similar subjects in the final three years of formal schooling in eSwatini, Lesotho and South Africa. This paper only reports on the findings in the South African curriculum in this regard. It emerged that – although some indigenous knowledge is included in the curriculum for Consumer Studies – it is not prominently stated, and that references to indigenous knowledge have been reduced in the current curriculum. Recommendations are made to strengthen the indigenous knowledge in this curriculum, to the advantage of learners
... A number of studies advocate that vital basic entrepreneurship knowledge and skills can be acquired through entrepreneurship education which should be encouraged and entrenched from early foundational years through secondary education (Nicolaides, 2011;Tengeh, Iwu & Nchu, 2015;Mbanefo & Eboka, 2017). Previous research has shown that Consumer Studies as a subject can contribute to the development of fundamental entrepreneurial skills and knowledge by engaging learners in entrepreneurial activities in schools (Nicolaides, 2011;Koekemoer & Booyse, 2013;Du Toit, 2014;Umalusi, 2014;Du Toit, 2016). Consumer Studies was phased in in the National Curriculum Statement to replace Home Economics as a subject in the Further Education and Training (FET) Phase in South African secondary schools in 2006. ...
South Africa faces persisting youth unemployment which is partly attributed to shortage of the relevant marketable skills and work experience youth need to secure employment opportunities and to develop their own businesses. Entrepreneurial knowledge and skills should be encouraged and incorporated in education from early foundational years through secondary education to engender entrepreneurial experience and to provide young people with the means to be self-employed. Consumer Studies as a practical school subject supports the development of foundational entrepreneurship knowledge and skills by engaging learners in activities pertinent in exposing them to entrepreneurship in schools. While early exposure to entrepreneurial activities is believed to be essential, teaching and learning during practical work in Consumer Studies is afflicted by challenges and problems. This paper explores the learners' views on the challenges encountered during practical work in Consumer Studies in one secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative case study research design using semi-structured focus group interviews, observations and reflective journals was adopted to explore Grade 11 learners' views on the challenges in learning during practical work in Consumer Studies. Findings revealed that although the practical component is regarded as the crucial part in learning Consumer Studies, the challenges learners encountered during practical work hindered their effective learning. Insufficient infrastructure was additionally found to be the major constraint facing the teaching and learning of the subject. Lack of funds to support the teaching and learning of the subject was reported to be the dominant hindrance.
... This excludes the additional time that teachers and learners spend on practical production work that links to entrepreneurship education. The unambiguous statement of the large amount of teaching time required for entrepreneurship theory content (16 weeks in the FET Phase), as well as explicitly linking entrepreneurship to practical skills development (Department Of Basic Education, 2011d; Koekemoer & Booyse, 2013;Umalusi, 2014) emphasises the importance of this particular topic in Consumer Studies. The expanded coverage of entrepreneurship in the subject also underlines its importance and the potential of Consumer Studies to promote and develop entrepreneurship in the high school curriculum. ...
The highest unemployment rates recorded in South Africa since 2003 were announced in November 2016. Youth unemployment is still higher than the national average, adding to the conundrum. Government officials have long been mentioning entrepreneurship education as a potential contributor to addressing this challenge, but it seems like progress is slow. One instrument that could contribute to addressing youth unemployment is the national school curriculum, in the form of entrepreneurship education. The South African school curriculum has, however, undergone several changes in recent years and up-to-date analysis of the current curriculum is scarce. As no distinct entrepreneurship subject exists in the curriculum, a scaffold qualitative document analysis was launched to investigate how and to what extent entrepreneurship education is included in the intended high school curriculum of South Africa. Based on the findings and conclusions of the research, recommendations were made to improve the potential of the current high school curriculum to contribute to youth entrepreneurship education. These recommendations will be presented to authorities in the Department of Basic Education for consideration in subsequent curriculum upgrades, to bolster entrepreneurship education as part of formal schooling in South Africa.
The apparently intractable youth unemployment in South Africa has been partly attributed to lack of necessary skills. Young people are not acquiring the relevant marketable skills they need to secure employment opportunities or, alternatively, to develop their own businesses.
The changing expectations demanded of life and work in the 21st century require that employees, including teachers, be properly prepared for situations that may arise in this day and age. This is especially true for teachers of Consumer Studies, who have to develop an expanding range of knowledge and skills in order to facilitate teaching-learning effectively in their subject. Project-based learning has been implemented in Consumer Studies and other disciplines as a teaching-learning strategy to develop 21st century career skills in students, but has not yet been reported on in relation to the preparation of pre-service Consumer Studies teachers. A qualitative case study was undertaken to determine how the implementation of project-based learning as a teaching-learning strategy would affect and contribute to the development of preferred skills in pre-service Consumer Studies teachers. The findings show that project-based learning could make various positive and constructive contributions to the preparation of pre-service teachers for their careers, and could include the development of a number of preferred skills. Further research could be conducted regarding the implementation of project-based learning to develop specific skills or attributes (other than those mentioned in this study) in teachers.
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