Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the overall structure of home economics teacher‑education
curricula at national universities across Japan by examining the subject classification under the Education
Personnel Certification Act, and to derive implications and suggestions for future challenges and
improvements.
While the syllabi allow verification of course titles and instructors, they do not provide sufficient
information regarding how courses correspond to specific subject classifications, nor about instructors’
areas of specialization or employment status thus the nationwide situation remains unclear. Consequently,
in 2019 a survey was conducted targeting all 49 national university corporations, with responses obtained
from 44 universities. The results indicated that:
1.The subject area with the largest number of courses was food science, accounting for approximately
one‑fifth of all courses taught.
2.When broken down by instructor specialization, more than 80% of courses in each area, namely home
management, clothing science, food science, home economics, and teaching methods, were taught
by instructors specializing in those specific subject classifications.
3.In terms of instructor employment status, full‑time faculty constituted the majority across all subject
categories, with teaching methods having the highest proportion at 84.6%.
4.The subjects with the highest student enrollment numbers were childcare studies and home
management.
