Fiction as a didactic tool to explore challenging issues in Home and Consumer Studies

The aim of this study was to investigate student teachers’ views regarding the use of fiction when teaching about gender equality in Home and Consumer Studies (HCS) in Sweden. This paper draws on questionnaire data and is part of a larger project exploring ways to renew the teaching of gender equality in HCS. Of 97 students who participated in a workshop, 94 chose to answer a follow-up questionnaire. Qualitative content analysis of responses to four questions on the questionnaire resulted in four themes: ‘Using the short story requires didactic knowledge and awareness’, ‘The model can be used as a tool for structure’, ‘Using fiction in HCS has potential’, and ‘Support is essential’. Overall, the participants expressed a positive attitude towards using fiction when teaching about gender equality in HCS. The study implies that fiction can be used as a didactic tool to approach challenging issues in HCS teaching. The book-talk model used in the workshop can be successfully used to structure discussions about gender equality to make societal structures and phenomena visible. Furthermore, the results indicate that different kinds of support are needed when using fiction, for example textbooks containing short stories, teacher guides, and collaboration with colleagues.