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