The aim of this study was to show tasks of career education in senior high school home economics. To accomplish this objective, this study examined current career education policies, and analyzed both the contents of home economics lessons and the attitudes of home economics teachers. It was found that career education policies tended to portray women's difficulties in continuing their jobs as a female-only problem. The questionnaire survey results revealed that both the goal and contents of senior high school home economics lessons conveyed a strong need to develop the abilities of students to live independently, which led to the development of “students' self-realization and self-management abilities” However, the number of teachers who were aware of the importance of career education in the lessons was low. Thus, many teachers did not recognize that the development of students'abilities to live independently was a part of career education. This study identifies future tasks of home economics education as follows: (1) teachers should devise a teaching method by which students can forecast their career development through home economics lessons, while considering their occupational and family lives; (2) teachers should recognize that knowledge and skills concerning food, clothes and housing are essential for sufficient career development in their occupations, and thus transmit them in educating the students.

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The purpose of this research is to examine the factors affecting difficulties in home economics learning and the relationships among them. A survey was conducted on the experiences of difficulties among college students, and the data were analyzed by the KJ method using IBM SPSS Text Analytics for Surveys 4.0. It became clear that most students had difficulties in their lesson studies on “How to use a sewing machine”and “Nutritional studies”Among the reasons for the difficulties,“causes from students”　“causes outside of students (learning factors),” and “causes outside of students (life factors),” were identified. Further, these factors were likely to be related with each other in causing difficulties. Our findings suggest a direction for the further development of classes in home economics.

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Our research, related to the family and children's growth in junior high schools'technology and home economics classes in Japan, clarifies the link between students'communication with their families and their resilience. We examined how the enhancement of family communication influences children';s independence. Family communication was analysed from perspectives including students' dialogue, sense of authenticity, and feelings of usefulness in family relationships. A questionnaire, composed of questions examining development of career consciousness, family communication, and self-esteem (feeling useful to the family), was administered to second-year junior high school students. A scale of resilience was specifically developed for junior high school students. Results: 1) students mostly talked to their mothers; 2) career consciousness was increased by family relationships regardless of the content of the conversation; 3) most students did not talk about plans for career or the future; 4) students who spoke frequently with their family and felt useful showed high resilience - both positive activity and self-disclosure. Thus, family communication influences resilience. Therefore, junior high schools should promote family relationships and teach methods to improve relationships in technology and home economics classes. This should help children interact with their families, cultivate their autonomy, and improve their resilience within society.

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The descriptions of home economics textbooks were analyzed in order to examine changes and problems of food safety learning in elementary school home economics. The results were as follows: (1) By using eggs as teaching materials for cooking, elementary school children mastered cooking skills as well as the selection methods of eggs. (2) Descriptions of how to wash vegetables in the home economics textbooks have been rewritten in accordance with changes of vegetable cultivation method and the evaluation of neutral detergent safety. (3) Descriptionsof the food safety in home economics textbooks have been rewritten in accordance with subjects and problems in each historical period and new scientific knowledge. (4) In order to learn the safe handling and selection methods of foods, it is necessary to position the food safety learning in the course of study.

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Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China has introduced "Integrated Practical Activities (IPA)" since 2001. Home Economics Education is included in a part of IPA. The goal of this study is to understand the present situation and challenges of Home Economics Education in Chinese primary school. Through the interviews of an advanced model school and the textbook analyses, the following results were obtained. Quzhou Dacheng Primary School in Zhejiang Province has developed a Home Economics curriculum as a part of IPA. The curriculum for six-year Home Economics provides pupils with opportunities to learn independent living, household work, family budget management, daily living habit, social etiquette and life beautification. The school has the household management room for practical learning.

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