The Planning and Practice of Home Economics in the "Nara Plan (1948-52) (Part One)" : Focusing on the Practice of a 'Framework for the Teaching of Home Economics' and 'shigoto (Work)'

Abstract

In the Nara plan, the 'Framework for the Teaching of Home Economics' was the basis for the study of home economics. It was made by distributing the content of the 'Course of Study for Home Economics in the fiscal year 1947' to a framework based on the concept of 'scope', which covers clothes, food, housing, manners, etc., and also on the concept of 'sequence', which deals with children's developmental stages. It was also developed based on children's investigation of the above. However, this framework focused only on housework and sewing. This home economics ability was planned so that it was learnt through school years 1-6 in 'shigoto' (work), 'keiko' (practice) and 'nakayoshi' (friendship). 'Shigoto' was study which originated in the will of the child and in which the child's energy was expended continuously and progressively. It was planned as a core curriculum placed mainly within social studies and the sciences. The home economics ability included in 'shigoto' related to study leading to the recognition of 'open family-life'. This was an aim of the 'Course of Study for Home Economics in the fiscal year 1947'. This is because 'shigoto' addressed the same problem-solving ideas as this course of study.