This study was undertaken to identify the necessity of homemaking education as compared with home education. To clarify the need of homemaking educat on in the curriculum, especially at the elementary level, was the initial concern. A behavior pattern in everyday life, adaptable to society, is necessary for socialization, in the form of discipline and life adjustment techniques. Home edecatinn is performed in home life in an informal situation. Therefore, home education is limited in range and methods in fulfilling socialization objectives. Furthermore, skills per se may be sccomplished in home education, but life adjustment techniques can more adequately be acquired through a universal and formal education, such as can be organized under homemaking education.

View full abstract

Homemaking has long been taught at the elementary and secondary levels. But today, various opinions are expressed regarding the present str ucture of homemaking as a subject in the curriculum. This literary study attempts to reflect the character of homemaking education as fundamentally necessary in the course of study, chiefly stressed for the elementary school level. The points clarified are as follows : 1. The character of homemaking course as a subject, from its beginning to the present day. 2. The place of homemaking course in the future, based on changing educational ideology.

View full abstract

Every field or subject in the curriculum must have an organized or systematized principle. What is the principle for homemaking education? Human beings are social animals. The intuitional behavior of man differentiates him from other animals. The reflexive and instinctive behavior of man cannot be predicted through scientific knowledge, but man's behavior may have scientific rationality in organizational planning. Planning is necessary in enterprise and administration. That planning is necessary in home life also, is not understood. Human behavior must fit the environment and therefore, estimating changes of the environment are important in planning. As a means of planning one's life, household accounting has hitherto been used. This author emphasizes the need to add behavioral recording to the above. Time-and-behavior viewpoint to planning is just as important as money-and mat erial plauning by account recording.

View full abstract

Sewing was taught privately, before the Meiji period. In the fifth year of Meiji (1872), the educational system was established, and a sewing course was designated so that girls may have formalized education. Thus, many pupils had to be taught in one classroom. It became necessary, therefore, to know effective teaching methods as well as subject matter. Teachers tried to improve their teaching techniques. Teachers learned the group teaching method from the United States, the developmental instruction (pestalozzi) and the gradation method (Herbart) from Germany. These methods were adapted to sewing as well as other subjects. This study analyzes the above methods, focusing mainly on the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868-1926), and their relations to the recent educational system.

View full abstract

Textbooks used in a Reading Course, Home Economics Coursea nd/or Home Science Course as developed during the Meiji and Taisho periods, were analyzed. Textbooks erred to were those made by prefectural governments and those aproved by the Ministry of Education. Contents and their arrangement, as well as the purpose of education, were compared with thoseof recent ones. Developmental teaching techniques such as those with emphasis on reading, verbal instruction, discussions with related materials used, as well as scientific education set on actual practice were some of the techniques analyzed.

View full abstract

In "Oeconomicus", Xenophon explains what is good home management and who is a good home econmist, by way of the Socratic method. The following three points are set up as his valuable suggestions for home economics education, although the social situation of his times must be considered. 1. He recognizes the educational potentialities for home economics. 2. His teaching method is the original form of the Heuristic method or discovery method in home economics education. 3. Home economics educator takes the role of training the human mind and character, according to Xenophon. From these points, "Oeconomicus" has historical values as the first literature referable to-home economics education.

View full abstract

This study investigated how Japanese children help their parents in daily domestic affairs, such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. Three typical elementary schools were selected with due consideration for regional differences. Questionnaires were distributed to 1500 pupils and their parents with a 100% return. Conclusions may be made as follows : 1. Most of the parents expect help from their children in daily routine activities, and the motivesof their expectations are reasonable and ad missible. 2. Many of the children help their parents in somewhat passive ways, and some are liable to nonperformance. This is probably due to lack of a long-sighted view in child training on the parents' side.

View full abstract

The course of study of homemaking education in the compulsory schools were revised in 1951 and again in 1958. Another revision is reported and will be executed by the Ministry of Education in 1968 for elementary schools. Therefore, the essence of homemaking education in line with the direction of the proposed one must be considered be clarifying the gist of the existing problems of today. Hence, the objectives of homemaking education are analyzed by showing the degree of practice given by the boys and girls in their family lives. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used in analyzing the scope of homemaking education. The subjects were composed of 79 boys and 85 girls of the first year class of the lower secondary schools (seventh grade), and 199 girls of the first year class of the high schools (tenth grade). Conclusions are as follows : 1. The degree of practice in the fields of Clothing, Foods, Housing and Household Equipment which require a lot of techniques is fairly high. 2. The degree of practice related to Family-Relationships stressing the realization of democracy is very low. The subjects hardly have any opportunity of free discussion in their homes. There is need to strengthen the curriculum on areas aiming at the reconstruction of the min d and the realization of democracy, as well as practical techniques. Consequently, more time must be allotted to the sphere of Family-Relationships.

View full abstract

Elementary school homemaking education is aimed at improving the present home life of each pupil and contributing to his or her future home life. But is this objective being fulfilled? This is a question of great importance that must be decided first of all if homemaking education is to be conducted in the future as it should be. In order to appraise the extent to which the studying of homemaking can be put to use in daily life, the following measures were taken : 1. Fifth grade (N=193) and sixth grade (N=195) boys and girls were asked to write a composition titled "My Family", and the results were analyzed. 2. Boys and girli in the sixth grade (N=227) were asked to write a composition under the title "The things that I have learned in homemaking that is useful to me in my home life", and the results were analyzed. 3. A questionnaire was sent to mothers throughout Kagoshima prefecture, asking them what was useful in the knowledge gained by children in homemaking in elementary schools. Respondents (N=1346) and their opinions were studied. 4. College students (male and female N=123) were asked how, in their present life, they could make use of what they had learned in homemaking in their elementary school days. The results of the above investigations indicate that the study of Foods helps the boys and girls improve their eating habits, makes them nutrition-minded and leads them to help their mothers with cooking. The study of Clothing proves to be useful in their acquiring such everyday skills as will keep themselves neat and tidy (ie. sewing on buttons, sewing up rents, washing and ironing), thus helping them form the habits of taking care of themselves. Besides, much has been learned in the fields of Housing, Family Relationships, Home Management, etc. In conelusion, it has been clarified that homemaking education in elementary schools is achieving its expected objectives.

View full abstract

This study investigated how much the children s rate of eating what they dislike can be raised by cooking techniques in the nursery school, in the town of Shishikui. The disliked foods were pimiento, bjue fish, liver, carrot, onion and gplant. Good results were gained by using the egdisliked items in the following forms : 1. Methods of cooking : Frizzling, frying and broiling. 2. Kinds of meals : Adding the items to curry and rice, fried or boiled rice, fried foods, croquette, etc. which children like. 3. Assortment : With eggs, sausage, and sweet potatoes. 4. Seasoning : Sugar and edible oil. 5. Size : Cutting into small pieces so as not to make the children recognize the original forms of disliked materials. 6. Device : To make meals pleasant to the taste.

View full abstract

The author reported on the diets of junior high school pupils in Akita prefecture in a preceding issue of this Journal of 1967. According to the results of the previous paper, it was clear that the consumption of milk and its products, green yellow vegetables and fruits, fats and oils, were poor based on the frequency of consumption. In the present paper, the author further analyzed the data of the previous investigation, chiefly focused on the above-mentioned three food groups, and, in addition, carried out another investigation on the likes and dislikes of these food groups. The results obtained are summarized as follows : 1. A half of the subjects did not take milk at all within three days of the investigation period, regardless of the fact that young people like cow's milk. The consuming habits of milk varies more individually than those of the other two food groups. 2. The results of the like-dislike test shows that 22% of Ss could not take boiled carrots and 16% could not have cooked carrots with fats and oils. Consumption of carrots should be promoted by improving cooking methods and stressing its nutritive values. 3. Cooked foods with fats and oils were found to be generally favored. Such fatty foods shoudl be consumed more frequently, especially recommendable in the form of fried foods or salads.

View full abstract

This study aims to gain empirical facts for homemaking education which includes family life education as one aspect of the subject area at the elementary level. An attempt was made to clarify children's concept of the family, centered on parent-child relations (such as respect and affection) and viewing current family life through the child's perspective (in such forms as participation in family activities). An investigation was undertaken upon classifying 67 six grade pupils of both sexes at Takaban Elementary School into 26 groups according to occupation of parents and children's IQ. The results show that the children's conception of the family varies according to children's character and IQ. There is also a tendency for children of administrative personnel to have a more desirable view to family life when compared to children of average public service personnel and company employees. This study verifies the belief that family life environment affects children's character formation.

View full abstract

Homemaking education textbooks at the elementary level include a unit of study on honsecleaning and equipments. The use of the typical housecleaning-cloth is within the scope of the topic. Hence, the authors carried out an experiment on housecleaning-cloths preceded by an nvestigation (total period Jan. 1965-Dec. 1966), in order to strengthen subject matter and also ito help in evaluating textbooks contents. Fifth grade pupils of both sexes (N=80) were asked for their preference of functional houseclean ing-cloths; university students (female N=80) were asked to specify from their standpoint, preference for size, thickness, fabric material, and conditions in using. As a result, five of the most used fabrics were selected (controlled for size, layers and stitches) for experiment on : variation in weight, progress in degree of dirt contamination, dirt permeation and release, and germ absorption. The results are as follows : 1. Size seems to be dominant when the user's hands are regarded as a standard; for thickness, a towel folded in three or four is preferred. Also, towel is preferred by both children and adults over other fabrics. 2. In comparing towel with bleached cotton, the thicker they are, the less they detach dirt, and vice versa, so that it may be said that the folding of cloth is better than stitching many layers. Knitted goods become dirty regardless of ways of folding and the stain will not come out even by washing. 3. When the progress of the degree of contamination was observed by a photoelectric reflection meter, the measurement of knitted goods became ineffective after a month's use. 4. Observing the state of the permeation of methylene blue, it permeates equally through a towel, knitted goods, bleached cotton and cotton flannel, which are folded in threes or fours. A towel absorbs it well even when it is folded in two. Tetron-broad absorption is especially bad. 5. When the state of absorption and release of artificially tainted liquid was observed, a towel not only absorbs it well but releases it as well. Tetron-broad absorbs it a little, so its release is very well. Bleached cotton absorbs it better than tetron-broad, but its release is the worst of the three. The authors think this is why the stain which dyes fibres lowers surface reflexibility. 6. As for the number of germs adhered to each material while in use, a towel whch absorbs dirt well stands first, then cotton flannel and knitted goods, but the germs less adhere to bleached cotton and tetron-broad.

View full abstract

Clothing construction, as taught in a course of 'Homemaking and Technology' in junior high school, is first analyzed on the bases of : (1) its relation to elementary school course of study, (2) present content of textbooks in junior high school, (3) present state of the community, and (4) ability of the students. Measures to supplemement the problems resulting from the above analyses were then planned in scope and sequence and carried out. This study aims to evaluate the results after completion of a three year sequential experimention. Thus, the present mid-report covers the results as analyzed for the first year students (seventh graders) only. The implementation of the new program indicates : 1. 80-90% of students understand the subjects learned. 2. Only 20-25% of students understand the subjects which contain application priuciples. This being the first year of analysis, the consequence of the second and third years remains to be researched.

View full abstract

In the age of mass production, especially in the ready-to-wear market, the value of home sewing is a controversial issue among girls, educators and home economists. In order to obtain the factors affecting the labor value of clothing construction and to improve home sewing, the author made a survey through The Home Economics Technical Test for senior high school homemaking girls. The subjects were 389 students and 18 homemaking teachers from Akita prefecture, 535 and 14 respectively from Kanagawa prefecture. This study can be summarized as follows. 1. The majority of girls admit home sewing of simple occidental and Japanese dress as valuable. They praise the spiritual as well as the financial value of home sewing. 2. The financial value of sewing such items as blouse, children's dress and Japanese simple cotton kimono in this survey resulted in very low labor costs; they belong in the same category as that of low farm products and is no match for that of other industries. 3. The improvement of skills in sewing increases the financial value of home sewing.

View full abstract

The soundness of a program of homemaking education at the elementary level is dependent in large part upon the adequate understanding of the conditions of pupils at home. From this point of view, a preliminary investigation was made to view the food practices at home of pupils in first, second and fifth grades, through a questionnaire distributed to parents. Results showed clear differences in problems between lower and upper grade pupils. The main cause for less appetite at mealtime for the younger ones were related to between-meal snacks. This report, hence, concentrated on analyzing between-meal snacks of second graders (N=36), from recordings taken by pupils from Dec. 25, 1966 to Jan 6, 1967. Results are summarized : 1. Means of acquiring snacks : Snacks are prepared or given at home, with a few exceptions when permitted to buy outside the home. This is the substantial pattern shown, but there is lack of parent's deliberation on this problem. 2. Variation in snacks when buying snacks shows. items tied to TV programs, items with coupon ballots, and chocolate sweets are prefer red, therefore highly related to tooth decay (80% of second graders as compared to 20% of first graders). Consequently, guidance is necessary toward a wholesome diet with due regard to between-meal snacks, especially for the lower grades.

View full abstract

A clothing unit of study in the General Homemaking Course in high school should be taught in such a way that girls would evaluate the actual state of clothing practices at home, and gain incentive in improving these practices. This study explored the number possessed and actual purchasing of clothing. The results obtained can be summarized as follows : 1. Clothing possessed are mostly blouses and skirts. Elementary knowledge in wearing and making the best use of the few clothing possessed, as well as studying design and color of dresses for future selection, are necessary. 2. Ready-made clothes are dominant in selection. Therefore, it is suggested that students should be guided to gain knowledge in good selection of clothes and their scientific treatments. Furthermore, to cultivate their view on clothing practices based on universal, societal values, as well as individual ones, are found necessary.

View full abstract