Preprint / Version 1

Lived Experiences of Food Waste Reframing in a Brazilian Public High School: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of Entrepreneurial Learning

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Sany da Silva Motta Fluminense Federal University https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3729-6046
- Conceptualization
- Data Curation
- Formal Analysis
- Investigation
- Methodology
- Project Administration
- Resources
- Software
- Validation
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Ricardo César da Silva Guabiroba Fluminense Federal University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4108-846X
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Visualization
- Validation
- Supervision
- Project Administration

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.16614

Keywords:

interpretative phenomenologic alanalysis, entrepreneurial learning, foodwaste, public education, sustainability education, student voice, social value creation

Abstract

This study examines how public high school students experience, interpret, and reframe food waste as an entrepreneurial learning issue. Although school food waste is often approached as an operational, nutritional, environmental, or behavioral problem, little is known about how students make sense of this phenomenon in school life. Drawing on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the article analyzes 18 in-depth interviews conducted through the Significant Actions technique with students enrolled in an entrepreneurship track in a public high school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The findings show that food waste was initially experienced as a visible but normalized feature of the school routine. Of the 18 participants, 16 described moral discomfort associated with discarded food, including guilt, indignation, sadness, or reflective questioning. In addition, 14 identified systemic factors as relevant causes of waste, especially rushed meal times, menu repetition, portioning practices, refectory organization, and limited student voice. Rather than attributing waste solely to individual behavior, students gradually interpreted it as a systemic issue shaped by school organization. The study contributes to entrepreneurship education by showing that entrepreneurial learning may emerge from lived encounters with ordinary institutional problems when these are pedagogically reframed as opportunities for responsibility, problem framing, and social value creation.

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Author Biographies

Sany da Silva Motta, Fluminense Federal University

Graduated in Letters from Salgado de Oliveira University (2005). Has experience in the field of Letters, with an emphasis on Portuguese Language. She holds a specialization in Teacher Training in Entrepreneurship and Management for High School from the Federal Fluminense University (2022) and in Languages and their Technologies from the Federal University of Piauí. She is a master's student in Administration at the Federal Fluminense University, developing research on Educational Entrepreneurship as a Strategy for Reducing Food Waste in Rio de Janeiro State Schools, focusing on promoting education for entrepreneurship as an instrument of social transformation and sustainable development, maximizing benefits for students, the school community, and society in general. She is a teacher in the Rio de Janeiro state public school system, working in high school and experienced in developing pedagogical practices distinct from education for entrepreneurship. Her master's student in Administration with an emphasis on entrepreneurship focuses her research on the articulation between education, sustainability, and innovation in the school context. This researcher conducts applied research on the use of entrepreneurship education as a strategy to address food waste in state schools in Rio de Janeiro, integrating qualitative approaches and methods such as Design Science Research (DSR) and interpretive phenomenology. Within this research, they propose and develop the "Smart School Lunch" pedagogical-technological artist project, aimed at mediating educational practices and promoting student engagement in socio-environmental issues. They have ongoing scientific production, with articles modified and submitted to national and international congresses and journals, addressing topics such as entrepreneurship education, school sustainability, pedagogical innovation, and public policies on school food. They participate in academic events, contributing to the debate on entrepreneurial training in public educational contexts. Their research interests focus on entrepreneurship education, educational innovation, sustainability, educational public policies, and qualitative methodologies applied to administration.

Ricardo César da Silva Guabiroba, Fluminense Federal University

Graduado em Engenharia de Produção pela Universidade Federal Fluminense. Mestre e Doutor em Engenharia de Transportes pelo Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ). Pós-doutor em Ciências Ambientais pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Atua como professor adjunto e pesquisador da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) em área multidisciplinar envolvendo conceitos da área de Engenharia de Transportes e de Produção, Administração de empresas e Administração Pública com enfoque principal para solução de problemas e tomada de decisão na área de Gestão Ambiental e Sustentabilidade. A principal linha de pesquisa aborda os impactos da atividade de transporte de resíduos sólidos e estruturação de cadeias de suprimento de unidades de reciclagem com base nos aspectos de sustentabilidade. No momento, atua como professor do curso de graduação em Engenharia de Agronegócios (UFF). Atua ainda como membro do corpo docente do curso de mestrado profissional em Administração da UFF e como editor associado da Revista Ambiente Sociedade.

Submitted

06/19/2026

Posted

09/16/2026

How to Cite

Lived Experiences of Food Waste Reframing in a Brazilian Public High School: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of Entrepreneurial Learning. (2026). In SciELO Preprints. https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.16614