Abstract
Most countries throughout the world, including Sāmoa, have adopted anew paradigm in technology teaching. In Sāmoa, this paradigm is evident in food and textiles technology (FTT) education, which has been broadened to adopt a more inclusive localised approach, and is regarded by many as an intellectual discipline grounded in technology processes. However, the introduction of this approach has not been easily accomplished in Sāmoa, and there are potential threats to its sustainability. This exploratory qualitative study on the current status of FTT in Sāmoa involved the interview of six teachers (and two new graduates) to gather data and used the researcher’s experiences and reflections to provide additional information. The results indicate that retrenchment in technology teaching is a potential problemand attention needs to be directed toward a number of corrective elements, but in particular in the first instance, provision of increased effective professional development to ensure improved student outcomes is needed. Limitations of the research are outlined and additional research recommended.
Keywords: Sāmoa, food and textiles, education, technology teaching
