Problem-based learning at home economics in the 6th grade of elementary school

The purpose of the B. A. thesis was to present the historical development and basic definitions of problem-based learning according to Slovene and foreign literature and to apply the method of problem-based learning as an example of a modern teaching method to nutritional content at home economics in the 6th grade of elementary school. Therefore, a pedagogical experiment was carried out with 26 students of the 6th grade of elementary school. Both the experimental and control group involved 13 students. The purpose of the pedagogical experiment was to determine how different teaching methods affect students' knowledge. Before the pedagogical experiment we tested the students' knowledge in both groups. After the lesson, we checked the effectiveness of the traditional and the modern teaching method in terms of the quality of students' knowledge and compared them with each other. The results showed that the students' knowledge in the experimental group, in which the lesson was carried out by the problem-based learning method, was deeper and more students transferred it to new situations. At the same time, we wanted to determine the position of students in the experimental group to problem-based learning. Using a questionnaire, we found out that students have a positive attitude towards problem-based learning and want more lessons of that kind. Teachers who teach home economics in the 6th grade and participated in the interview, also show a positive attitude towards problem-based learning and believe that home economics is a subject that promotes the use of this method. Teachers do not often plan a problem-based lesson but a number of problem situations appear during lessons which are used for the implementation of problem-based learning