• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2012

This study investigated the causes of the dislikes of Practical Arts education of elementary school students. This study was to provide the foundation for the proposition of alternative plans to make more students participate pleasantly and actively in Practical Arts classes. Data were collected via an open-ended survey from 273 elementary school students and through telephone interviews with five elementary school teachers. The data were analyzed inductively by NVivo. After the analysis of the student data, the analysis of the teacher data was conducted according to the variables from the student data. The results of this research were as follows: First, with regard to the causes of the students' dislikes of Practical Arts classes, extrinsic factors such as instruction management, instruction content, teaching facilities and equipment, and teacher characteristics were elicited. Intrinsic factors included complaints about failing to meet students' expectation from Practical Arts, negative perception of Practical Arts, the interest, competency, and fear of the students. Secondly, the students who learned Practical Arts from the Practical Arts specialty teachers gave more answers on instruction management, instruction content, and teacher characteristics than the students who learned Practical Arts from their homeroom teachers did. The students who learned Practical Arts from their homeroom teachers answered that they disliked Practical Arts because of lack of lab facilities and practice than their counterparts did. The analyses of teacher data provided the reasons and contexts of the dislikes of the students such as teaching facilities and equipment, and the anxiety of the students.