• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
• /
• v.18 no.1 s.39
• /
• pp.77-93
• /
• 2006

As our current society is increasingly demanding a Home Economics Education curriculum that projects the recent changes around us, in this study we hope to present which fundamental materials would be needed in Home Economics Education to satisfy the needs of learners in schools and to Provide actual practice and information crucial to live in the future society. A reform of the present Home Economics regime is needed, and as a result of critical analysis on the subject we found that it did not portray the plurality of family relations and cultures owing to the sudden changes in society, nor did it present an active curriculum that could be applied to the changes in social environments. This was partly because of the matter of establishing a proper academic identity of Home Economics Education, the matter of specializing curriculums and general methods of applying them, the academic conservatism in the field of Home Economics, and ineffectiveness of teacher reeducation as well as a lack of leadership on the part of administrative departments. The objective and content structure of Home Economics Education should be reformed to adjust to the current society by taking an approach focused on family and the consumer. In the family part, curriculums should include the formations of various family structures and home cultures to portray a more open concept of family, which should promote gender equality in matters of child upbringing and housework. From a humanitive perspective, Home Education should he dealing with the mediation and decision-making of individuals caught between social advancement and household functions. their communication skills in choosing and deciding, and furthermore their participation in their living communities which may present more material basis of critical scientific philosophies to be discussed in class. Additional themes such as sustainable consumption for earth environment and resource preservation and ways of application to rebuild our diminishing society must also be included in the education curriculum. We should look to find a more integrated approach to Home Economics Education rather than the present field based and specialized regime.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.141-157
• /
• 2020

This study analyzed the content of national-level curriculum documents for the purpose of reviewing the overall status of population education in elementary and secondary schools in South Korea. Based on the results of the analysis, directions for the future of population education at school were proposed. Both the 2007-Revised Curriculum and the 2009-Revised Curriculum contain the contents of population education as a 'Cross-curricular learning topic' in the general curriculum influenced by the low birth rate and ageing society, yet not in the current 2015-Revised Curriculum. Furthermore, when the curriculum documents for the ten common subjects corresponding to the 'National Common Basic Curriculum' proposed by the 7th Curriculum were examined, only 'Home Economics' curriculum at the secondary school level and 'Social Studies' curriculum at the elementary and the secondary school levels adequately reflected the subject goals, characteristics, contents and achievement standards that correspond to those of population education. Based on the results of the curriculum analysis, the following five directions for population education at school are drawn. First, the purpose of population education at school should be stated using gender-neutral terms of 'response to low-birth and aging society' and it has to be emphasized that it is not to intervene in natural childbirth. Second, the subject which deals directly with the goals, content elements, and achievement standards of population education should be designated as the leading subject for population education. Third, with its inter-disciplinary nature, population education should be able to provide quality contents for convergence education. Fourth, the government should provide policy support to the leading subjects for population education so that more high schools may select the subjects as elective courses. Fifth, teacher education should be improved to enhance teachers' perceptions on population. This study asserts that 'Home economics,' which deals with human daily lives, is an optimal subject that can reflect population education in connection with real life. To this end, policy support should be provided for 'Home economics' so that it may fulfill the mission as a leading subject of population education.