Children's understanding of food and health in primary classrooms

This article describes an action research project involving primary teachers on in‐service teacher education programmes in London. The purpose of the research was to promote teachers’ understanding of the relationship beween research and classroom practice and thereby to identify ways to promote teaching and learning in science. The research aimed to investigate children's knowledge and understanding about food and diet. Teachers interviewed children aged from 5 to 12 years. Pictures of food were used to identify how children choose food to eat and how they classify foods, and to explore their understanding of nutrients. The findings suggest that even five‐year‐olds have some understanding of the relationship between food and health. Children also hold alternative ideas about food, especially about the function of food and the importance of specific nutrients. The research helped teachers to reflect on their practice, to develop new strategies for teaching and to evaluate learning experiences more effectively.