1. Consumer Education:
Content, principles and
perspectives
HAROKOPIO
UNIVERSITY
GREECE
“Training teachers in developing consumer awareness among children”
Project 517562-LLP-1-2011-1-GR-COMENIUS-CMP
www.tracon-project.eu

2.  “Consumer education is concerned with the skills, attitudes,
knowledge and understanding necessary to become an effective
consumer. It is recognized that this form of education needs to
be provided at all life stages to empower young through to
older consumers to enable them to lead confident, healthy,
independent lives.” (Brennan & Ritters, 2004, p. 98).
 Consumer education “sets out to change behavior, strengthen
responsibility, motivate to participate and to empower the
consumer” (Brennan & Ritters, 2004, p. 104).
 “The aim of formal consumer education may be described as
educating for critical consumer awareness and action
competence” (Benn, 2004, p. 108).
[Department of Trade and Industry (2003). Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate
Website. http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/advice.htm as cited by Brennan & Ritters, 2004, p. 98]

3. To be a consumer deals among others with…
The role of Media in consumption
behaviour
Safety
Marketing & money management Consumer rights
Services and Telecommunication Sustainable consumption
Food labeling Family
Food & health

4. This paper discusses the role of school in the planning of and
developing consumer education.
The main points raised are as follows:
 “Until now most research has been aimed primarily at gaining an
understanding of how consumers act and react for the benefit of producers or
society. Recently children and young people have been put on the research
agenda … in their roles as consumers” (p. 169).
 “Despite the emphasis nowadays being on the consumer and his/her
consumption behaviour, it can be postulated that we are also, to a certain
degree, producers. We are not just passive consumers but, as we consume we
act, react and interact. How, why and when we carry out these actions depends
on who we are, our needs and attitudes towards consumption and action and
our skills or abilities to „produce‟ “(p. 170).

5.  According to Benn (2002) modern societies are characterized by
three key paradigms in relation to consumer behaviour:
1. The consumer-regulated society paradigm in which the central figure is
the consumer “who chooses and thereby determines the market.” (pp.
170-171).
2. The power in the hands-of-producers paradigm in which the producers
are “superior and decide what we can buy and how to consume.” (p.
171).
3. “The third paradigm says that neither of the two parties may put
themselves forward as superior and prudent.” (p. 171).
 … the individual “acts as consumer outside the home in society,
at the market, and acts as producer and/or consumer within the
home. This double perspective is also essential for consumer
education.” (p. 171).

6.  “Consumer education may … be introduced as a cross-
curricular theme between subjects, or as a subject area within
project work.” (p. 172).
 “The overall aim (of consumer education) is that pupils and
students obtain active competencies in a number of fields or
become empowered to act as citizens in a democratic society.”
(p. 172).
 Consumer education “encompasses a socialization process
with an emancipatory and critical angle and is not just a
behaviorist way of thinking.” (p. 172).
 “… the aim of consumer education must be to produce an
„eco-centred‟ or eco-caring teacher and pupil or human
being.” (p. 172).

7.  It means that “it is necessary in consumer education to work with both
the consumer and producer roles, to learn and gain experience in the
field.” (p. 173).
 Human beings must be seen “as both consumers and producers within
the home or household.” (p.173).
 The school needs to function as a laboratory in which everyone learns
how to cope with the challenges of life and how to make home and
society a “harmoniously caring place to live in.” (p. 175).
 “In conclusion, … the … quotation „Housekeeping means: to use what
you have in order to get what you want‟ … ought to be changed to
„Housekeeping means: to question what you need and to ecologize in
order to get what you and others might want.‟” (p.175).

8. After you have read the paper by Benn (2002) and you have gone
through its key points as presented within this power point, try to
answer the following questions to make sure that you understood well
its content:
 What are the three paradigms which characterize consumerism in modern
societies?
 Which of the three paradigms is more powerful in developing consumer
education?
 Can consumer education be taught as part of other school subjects across the
curriculum and is this a desirable and effective approach?
 What does “eco-centred” or “eco-caring” teacher and pupil mean in terms of
educational decisions and school practice?
 In simple terms, what is the main purpose of consumer education according to
the authors‟ suggestions?
 Based on the information provided by the present paper, design an “eco-
caring” cross-thematic lesson plan on „food and health‟. Get ideas from the two
examples of school activities described in the paper (pp. 173-174).

9. This paper examines children‟s and young people‟s experiences and
views on consumption.
The key points of the paper are as follows:
“… consumerism has become a global, universal and unifying movement … that
has a great significance for and impact on the lives of children and young people
all over the world.” (p. 108).
A change between old times and modern times “is the power and potential
children and young people have in relation to consumption, both directly as
consumers themselves and indirectly by influencing parents‟ choices and
consumption.” (p. 108).

10. The study:
Participants: 64 children and young people aged between 12 and 19
years old.
Procedure:
1. contact with schools and teachers
2. classroom settings including scenarios, presentation of mind maps of
consumption today and in the future and small-scale questionnaires concerning the
pupil
3. interviews of selected individuals
4. analysis of methods and data
Example of mind map (page 110 of the paper).
Consumption
today

11.  The preliminary results of the study:
To be a consumer today involves
Positive aspects Difficult aspects
•Being „a happy consumer‟ •Power and consciousness
•Pleasure •Pressure towards political
consumption
•„Buying when bored‟ •Criticism about purchasing
•Consumption larger than needs •Environmental consciousness
•„Ruled by majority‟ •Quality is important
•„No end of choices‟
•„We are spoilt‟
•Identity created by society
Table 2 „To be a consumer today‟ from the mind maps of the upper
secondary school (n=20) (p. 110)

12. To be a consumer in future deals with
Positive aspects Difficult aspects
•Some ideas about being •Increasing number of political
consumers
•Technology will have a great impact •Consideration, consciousness and
power
•Intensification of marketing •Independent choice (have own
households and families in the future)
•Easier consumption made possible by
technology
•Conscious of consumption (because
of own children)
•Consumption demands a large labor
effort and big earnings
•Recycling
•Ecology

13. Use simple mind map layouts and ask your pupils to
fill them in with their ideas about what to be a consumer
today and in the future means to them.
Collect your pupils responses, group their answers into
categories and present them using tables.