The level of home economics literacy among secondary school students staying at halls of residence

Home economics literacy is an important competence and enables a person to lead a quality life. It is a multidisciplinary field that mostly involves financial, ecological, food and health literacy, and caring for the home and clothing. All branches of home economics literacy enable individuals from diverse social structures and generations to apply their knowledge, abilities and skills to effectively solve everyday life problems and make decisions based on thorough contemplation. Individual areas of home economics literacy have been studied and most studies have shown that secondary school students possess satisfactory financial, ecological, food and health literacy, but that its further improvement would significantly enhance the quality of their lives. The purpose of the master's thesis was to determine the level of home economics literacy among secondary school students staying at halls of residence during their schooling, and whether factors such as gender and place of residence during schooling are correlated with the home economics literacy of secondary school students. Moreover, the aim was to determine potential differences in individual areas of home economics literacy among secondary school students. A quantitative survey was conducted for the research section of the master's thesis. The sample comprised 403 male and female students of various secondary schools. The analysis of results has shown that the secondary school students staying at halls of residence during their schooling possess satisfactory home economics literacy, with no significant differences detected in the level of health, food, ecological and financial literacy, or in caring for the home and clothing. The survey detected no statistically significant differences in home economics literacy between male and female secondary school students, nor between secondary school students with regard to their place of residence during schooling. The biggest differences between male and female secondary school students were detected in the frequency of performing chores that fall under the category of caring for the home and clothing, with the female students stating that they wash, iron, mend clothes, tidy and clean more often. More significant differences were also detected in water and energy saving; the secondary school students staying at halls of residence during their schooling pay more attention to that. Furthermore, these students more often socialize with their friends, take care of their mental health, engage in physical activities, and are more knowledgeable of the recommended daily amount of physical activity than those living at home. In order to improve the home economics literacy of secondary school students, the curriculum should be adapted to include the subject of Home Economics in the 8th and 9th grades of primary school and in the syllabuses of secondary schools, or elements of home economics literacy should be incorporated into the curricula of secondary schools and offered as part of compulsory elective subjects