Senior High School Students’ Awareness of Home Economics Housing Education and How that Awareness Changes as a Result of Taking Classes

Abstract

  Senior high school students' awareness of home economics housing education was studied before and after taking classes on the topic. The purpose was to find where high school students' interests or concerns lie with respect to the topic and to clarify how their awareness changes as a result of attending classes. The study examined student awareness of housing (importance, interests or concerns, difficulty, sense of usefulness, etc.), comprehension of class content, eagerness to learn, impression of classes, and use of information and communication technology devices.

  The students did not like the housing subject area as much as other subjects, but they understood it to be important and had a strong sense of its usefulness. Attending classes increased this awareness. Students showed an interest in content such as earthquake preparedness, home accident preparedness, countermeasures for condensation, noise reduction, and more. They also had a strong sense of the topic's usefulness and their understanding tended to deepen. The study also showed that students who are enthusiastic learners had a strong sense of the topic's usefulness. It is hoped that by learning about housing, students will understand that what they learned could be useful in their current or future life, and that further development of the coursework will sustain the sense of its usefulness.