Craft taught at comprehensive school is an integrative subject, which enables students to generalize the knowledge acquired in theoretical disciplines and connect it to everyday life, hence designing a self-managing citizen. In the Republic of Estonia the subject of Craft includes both Home Economics and Handicraft. A pilot study and two national surveys were conducted in order to clarify Estonian society's expectations and the readiness of schools to implement this contemporary approach of the subject at comprehensive school. The studies involved young people aged 20 to 29 and teachers of Handicraft and Home Economics in basic schools. The outcome of the research revealed that both youngsters and specialist teachers were aware of the necessity to modernize the subject and its importance in managing independent lives. The means offered for increasing students' motivation in acquiring Craft were modernizing the subject, usage of various teaching methods, widening the choice of study materials and considering students' wishes. The results of the research formed the foundations for designing new syllabi for Home Economics and Handicraft.

Becoming a professional teacher is an everlasting process. Its aim is to achieve a mastery of teaching and the ability to see the links of educational work that a beginner teacher doesn't notice. Teachers´ development is supported by continuous training. The aim of current study was to find out the habits of handicraft teachers in choosing and using courses of continuing education. The current study used questionnaires and interviews with teachers. The results of our research show that handicraft teachers engage in further training, but it is mostly connected with developing their practical skills rather than acquire didactic knowledge. The reason for that can be seen from two aspects. Firstly, handicraft for handicraft teachers is both work and a hobby. They want to combine possible training courses with their personal interests. Secondly, older generation of teachers are used to participate in practical vocational courses.

Interest in learning is a topic that has provided research material to many researchers around the world. The causes of declining learning interest in different subjects have been studied, as well as how to support and stimulate students’ interest in learning. Research has shown that the main reasons for declining learning interest are the nature of the learning tasks (too easy or too difficult, not interesting) and the attitude of the teacher. Handicraft and home economics in the Estonian general education curriculum is a practical integrated subject where students can apply the knowledge they have acquired in different subjects and realize their creative ideas. Thus, it could be assumed that the subject is of interest to students. At the same time, based on student surveys and classroom observations, it can be stated that there are students in almost every class and school who are not interested in learning a craft and are not motivated to participate in the learning activities. As craft lessons differ from other lessons due to their practical nature, it was decided to investigate the learning interest in handicraft. The aim of the study was to identify the factors influencing learning interest in handicraft lessons in order to understand how handicraft teachers could support students’ learning. A quantitative research method was chosen for the research, and a survey was used as a research instrument. As a result of the research, it can be stated that comparing the factors influencing learning interest in handicraft lessons with the results of other similar research, we can state that although handicraft is slightly different from other subjects due to its practical nature, the factors influencing learning interest are similar across the subjects. The interest in the subject largely depends on the age of the students and the activities of the teacher.

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