1998 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 1-9
The researcher aims to explicate in this research the rationale of home economics curriculum based on the "practical-problem approach", which is recognized as a remarkable aspect of curriculum development in the United States, by examining the characteristics and significance of "practical-problems" as the constitutional concept of home economics curriculum. Marjorie M. Brown considered the perennial practical-problems as the origin of problems that human beings may encounter throughout life recurring over time and continue across cultures, and so she proposed that the curriculum contents be constructed around these problems. In the Minnesota State Problem Posing Curriculum Model, which is grounded on the theory of Marjorie M. Brown, the perennial practical-problems are viewed as the central concept of the home economics curriculum, and the instructional themes, which are the nuclei of the curriculum contents, are derived from the perennial practical-problems interrelated with the system of human action. It enables learners to organize his/her thinking processes in practical reasoning toward the solving of the perennial practical-problems through learning to search for the real meaning of the problems lying in their core. It will be appreciated that through this kind of curriculum, learners can broaden their horizon by using the problem as a vehicle to confront with the realities of life in the world they live.
