Food diversity in Home Economics Education – exemplified by Danish school research

This article focuses on didactic challenges in teaching food diversity in Home Economics Education in Danish secondary school, based on empirical findings from a recently concluded Home Economics Education research project in Denmark (Author et al., 2022). The empirical research shows both how food diversity is included in teaching and how food diversity is rejected by teachers who believe that the national food culture is the right way to teach students’ food knowledge. The methodology is a mixed method design, including a survey among Home Economics teachers (N=380) and personal teacher interviews, geographically dispersed (N=24). The theoretical framework for the analysis presented includes theory of teacher profiles (Carlsen, 2017), systems theory (Luhmann, 1995), learning expectations relating to achievement (Hattie, 2009), and taste didactics and competencies (Author & Qvortrup, 2019, 2021). The findings indicate the relevance of Home Economics cooking class-approaches in relation to the increasing diversification of food, taste, and meals in society. Not just in a Danish context, but in many countries around the world, it is highly relevant to discuss diversity challenges in a cultural context because food diversity perspectives are often neglected or treated implicitly. In conclusion, teaching food diversity in Home Economics cooking classes needs to include the processes of making sense of food. Teaching food diversity includes learning processes concerning cultural, religious, and ideological or attitudinal differences in taste and meal communities. The article concludes with some general didactic recommendations for teaching and learning about food diversity in Home Economics Education in school.