The Current Course of Study has made early childhood education and care (ECEC) experience compulsory in junior high schools. However, there are many problems in the implementation of ECEC experience. Some education boards examined effective support system for encouraging the implementation. The aim of this study is to find the contents of support which home economics teachers need to implement ECEC experience, and to examine whether administrative support matches teachers’ needs. We conducted a questionnaire survey to junior high school home economics teachers. Teachers were divided into an operating group and a non-operating group based on whether or not ECEC experience was implemented. Both groups wished to collaborate with their colleagues, head of school, parents, nursery teachers, and kindergarten teachers. Some education boards’ support matched with teachers’ needs. Workshops that most of education boards adopted as the content of support were not met with the teachers’ expectations.

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The aim of this research was to prove that investigating and considering various viewpoints with others is effective way to improve critical thinking. A lesson plan was developed for validation. In the class practice, a lesson was conducted relating to consumer behavior using a bar of chocolate as the subject. The lesson included activities such as “designing the packaging of the bar”(manufacturer’s perspective) and “assessing the quality of goods in the chocolate”(consumer’s perspective), so students could learn to analyze the situation from various viewpoints and develop critical thinking. The activity also encouraged dialogue between students. Considering the viewpoints of manufacturers, and consumers during the activity appeared to deepen students’ critical thinking abilities. During the “designing the packaging of bar” activity, students considered economic and other factor that manufacturers typically consider, and during the “assessing the quality of goods in the chocolate” activity, they also explored the value of the chocolate bar from a social viewpoint. They also became more aware of consumer-related issues and considered future consumption behavior such as purchasing fair trade goods. Therefore, students’ critical thinking skills can be encouraged, enhanced, and deepen through dialogues with others and by investigating and considering various viewpoints.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the status of and problems in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) utilization among home economics teachers in junior high schools. We compared home economics teachers in junior high schools in Kanagawa and Saga prefectures, who are known for their advanced use of ICT. A survey was conducted to examine the influence of improvements in the ICT environment on ICT utilization; leaders’ perceptions of ICT; and relationships between utilization, leadership, and awareness of ICT utilization. Participants included home economics teachers in junior high schools, including part-time lecturers. The questionnaires were distributed by mail. Regarding ICT utilization, the common problems experienced by home economics teachers in both prefectures were related to teaching using ICT during class, guiding students to use ICT, and teaching information ethics. Additionally, scores on “teaching students to use of ICT” were significantly lower than the scores of the whole junior high school. Findings from prefectures with advanced ICT use could help teachers improve their utilization of ICT and upgrade their skills. The present findings confirmed that providing a support system and fostering learning among teachers increases the number of faculty members who have fun and who actively utilize their ICT knowledge. In future, home economics teachers could focus on continuously sharing information and examining cases of effective ICT utilization to help improve individual skills and home economics education.

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