Abstract
The rationale for the existence of home economics in Japan's school education today is under question. The essence of that issue lies in the relationship between formal home economics education and the fostering in children of a consciousness about being a member of a family and the recognition of living a family lifestyle in both formal and informal ways outside the formal school curriculum (in particular, "Period for Integrated Study" as established by recent educational reforms), as well as in the home and in society generally. In addition, the issue lies in whether home economics can express can express its own originality and its own rationale of being as opposed to such forms of education. This thesis aims to respond to that issue, by taking up a comparative examination of theories related to the fostering in children of a consciousness as being family members by comparing "Home economics based on the Japanese course of study formulated in 1989" and the United States of America "Teen Guide (Sixth Ed.)", which are documents that indicate a contrasting relationship and a way to proceed in the future. In the first report, we carried out an analysis on the report "Home economics based on the Japanese course of study formulated in 1989", and we found that the attitudes and methods used in the aim to form a family lifestyle recognition and a consciousness of family structure were essentially the same as those found in formal and informal education in areas outside formal education curriculum, and in the family and in society.
