Recently, there are many serious problems in welfare environment for the aged and the handicapped including women, infants, children and foreigners. These problems are also serious in architectural field. However, it is not easy to think that university students who are majoring in architecture consider these problems seriously. Furthermore, programs of university have changed for ten years. We have conducted questionnaire surveys to the first and the third grade of the university students majoring in architectural field in Kansai University from 2006 to 2015. In this study, we clarified the change in “consciousness”, “action” and “knowledge” of the students to the aged and the handicapped for ten years.
The results are as follows.
(1) From 2006 to 2015, in the consciousness, there was no significant change in both the first and the third grade students. However, in the action, the students have come to act, considering the aged and the handicapped in both grades. The knowledge of the third grade students about welfare for the aged and the handicapped has increased. In addition, the factors influenced by social background in ten years were incidents, accidents, disasters, economy, social problems and daily scenarios of the students' life.
(2) With regard to the consciousness, however the students considered that the welfare problems for the aged and the handicapped were serious, they gave priority to themselves because of the Japan’s economic slump and poverty of the students. Therefore, the university should introduce the appropriate welfare-related part-time jobs to the students to deepen the students' understanding of the welfare problems through interacting with the aged and the handicapped, and support students' economic environment.
(3) Concerning the action, the students have come to have good manner and to take the welfare action into account. The university should support the welfare activities and the campaigns which enhance students' action so that the students can work on them positively.
(4) Regarding the knowledge, because the number of the university classes on the welfare for the aged and the handicapped has increased and has changed since 2007, the knowledge of the third grade students has risen. Moreover, the number of the students who acquire knowledge of the welfare problems from “magazines, books”, “television and radio” has decreased. However, the knowledge of them has risen year by year. Therefore, there is a possibility that students' knowledge can be raised by introducing the appropriate books and television programs to the students in order to give the chance to get information.
(5) There is a possibility that the action and the knowledge of the third grade students becomes higher as they think that the university is making an effort to the welfare for the aged and the handicapped well. Therefore, the university should promote the barrier-free campus, buy and sell the products that the handicapped made, and invite the aged and the handicapped as a lecturer.
(6) The welfare experience asked in this questionnaire didn't influence on the students' consciousness, action and knowledge well. The university should make opportunities to visit welfare facilities for the students in order that they can interact with the aged and the handicapped, and should try and examine constantly to connect the students' experience and their consciousness, action and knowledge.
