Journal of the Japan Association of Home Economics Education
Online ISSN : 2424-1938
Print ISSN : 0386-2666
ISSN-L : 0386-2666
Volume 54, Issue 4
Displaying 1-5 of 5 articles from this issue
  • Kaoru HORIUCHI
    Article type: Article
    2012 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 215-225
    Published: February 01, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2017
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The purpose of this study is to clarify the challenge of home economics education intended to further a gender-equal society. Previous articles regarding home economics education and gender issues were reviewed and their results reconsidered. Home economics education has been affected by social conditions in every period in which it has existed. Although the subject has become a co-educational required subject from elementary school to high school since 1994 in Japan, problems regarding gender issues have always existed. Studies on gender and home economics education have been able to classify three aspects of this issue: 1) educational theory, 2) the analysis of school culture and the social environment in schools, and 3) curriculum development and research in home economics practices. As the Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society suggests, the purpose of home economics education is to help students nurture independent living skills and a consciousness that does not insist on fixed gender roles in a society. The way home economics teachers address gender issues in class is important. The aim of the lesson for students should be to be aware of gender bias around them in the context of building their future life plan. New, innovative educational practices in home economics are needed to actualize a gender-equal society.
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  • Mitsue NONAKA, Noriko ARAI, Hiroko KAMATA, Yuko KAMEI, Junko KAWABE, M ...
    Article type: Article
    2012 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 226-235
    Published: February 01, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2017
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The purpose of this research is to clarify influences and problems of reducing home economics credits in senior high schools. The method of research was the mail survey to home economics teachers of 1311 public senior high schools in 21 prefectures. 621 schools replied. The following things became clear as a result of analyzing them. 1) About 70% of schools didn't place only one or less full-time teacher for home economics. And about 60% of full-time teachers were teaching subjects except home economics. This means that it is difficult to place one full-time teacher only for teaching home economics. 2) About 70% of home economics teachers had experienced the decrease in the number of required credits in home economics. 3) The decrease in the number of required credits in home economics caused reduction of study activities, and also caused the decline of each student's life skill, and the decline of evaluation and importance to home economics.
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  • Tomoko FUJITA
    Article type: Article
    2012 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 236-247
    Published: February 01, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2017
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of adolescents' eating habits and how body image, commonsense knowledge, and school knowledge influence their eating habits. Theoretically, I conceptualize eating habits as Bourdieu's habitus, and base this study on the Structuration theory. Questionnaires were administered to 1629 high school students. It was found that eating habits differed by gender, however, an exploratory factor analysis indicated that the structures of male and female eating habits were similar. The factor analysis extracted four factors, which were labeled as "valuing body control," "valuing every day meals," "valuing favorite food," and "valuing nutritional balance." The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the body image was positively related to "valuing body control," and that school knowledge had a positive effect on "valuing nutritional balance" among both males and females of every school type (i.e., boys' schools, girls' schools, and coeducational schools). Therefore, adolescents had certain ideal body images that influenced the selection of strategies for their eating habits, and the attitudes toward home economics education positively influenced their eating habits. Commonsense knowledge from their parents impacted "valuing body control." These results suggest that creating Home Economics curricula and combining school knowledge with that from adolescents' parents are important.
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  • Hiroko KAWABATA, Taeko NARUMI
    Article type: Article
    2012 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 248-257
    Published: February 01, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2017
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    We observed 151 second-year junior high students in a homemaking class work on Sashiko embroidery stitching, conducted a questionnaire survey on their consciousness towards learning to sew Sashiko and evaluated their sewing skills from their actual workmanship. An after-class survey was conducted to inquire into their self-evaluation on their self-efficacy, on their attitude towards Sashiko, and on their skillfulness in fingers/hands. Their actual skill level was measured by conducting a thread-tying test. Based on the results from these surveys, we considered the effects of teaching Sashiko and the points to keep in mind in class. (1) More than 80% of the students replied that "Sashiko studies were enjoyable to an extent, or, enjoyable." That all answers became more affirmative in the last survey indicates that their interest was maintained or grew as the class progressed. The consciousness towards their own sewing skills did not have any gender gap, but interest was higher amongst the girls. (2) There were great differences between individuals in the progress of stitching. On the whole, girls were superior. Because a moderate correlation was detected between the progress in stitching and the movement of their hands, it has become clear that it is important to teach the correct movement of hands in stitching in order to achieve a smoother progress. (3) Skillfulness in fingers/hands was estimated through a thread-tying test. No clear relationship between the actual skillfulness and the self-evaluation on the skillfulness in fingers/hands was found, testifying a gap between the two amongst some students. Sashiko stitching can lead students to experience feelings of accomplishment and contentment, and a clear correlation was found between their attitude towards the study and their self-efficacy. We suggest a teaching method in which students are classified into 4 types according to their level of consciousness towards skillfulness in fingers/hands, so that their self-efficacy can be fully enhanced in the study.
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  • Sachiko AOKI, Tomoe MUNETA
    Article type: Article
    2012 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 258-266
    Published: February 01, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2017
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    We have produced the Educational Cards 'Karuta' for the cultivation of gender sensitive views in the teacher training course. This teaching material aims to cultivate the idea of the equal rights for men and women in the school education. We used these cards in a girls' junior high school to examine the possibility of their use as a teaching material. As a result, a definite effect has been verified as follows; 1. The use of these cards serves as the review of the lesson, facilitates the gender sensitive view of the students, encourages them to look back and recognize their own biases, induces questions, and proposes an opportunity of resetting of their own gendered views by exchanging opinions among themselves. 2. Students came to recognize the effects of educational cards which functioned as a bridge for a further study and conduct.
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