Modern Aspects of Home Economics Education and Slovenia

Abstract

Home economics operates in the academic, curriculum and social realms, as well as in everyday life. Due to its multidisciplinarity, it includes and interconnects the contents of different disciplines (e.g., healthy lifestyle, nutrition, dietetics, textiles, home, family, consumption, personal and family economics, design and technology), which are considered in terms of meeting the needs of the individual, family, and society. Home economics education and literacy play an important role in acquiring knowledge and skills that help raise the quality of life of the individual, family, and society. With the development of society, the needs of both the individual and the family are changing; therefore, changes are also needed in home economics education, which is reflected in the updating of the subject curricula. The goals and contents in the curriculum must reflect and meet the needs of the current society and take into account the cultural dependence and social determinism of the home economics field. To a certain extent, the current curriculum of the subject home economics in Slovene elementary schools already includes some content areas that have been recognised as important for meeting the needs of society. These relate to healthy lifestyle, nutrition, health, textiles, consumption, economics, family, environment and sustainable development. Given the perceived needs of society, the use of household appliances, home contents, and first aid should be additionally included in home economics education in Slovenia, and students should be encouraged to develop social and communication skills. It is also necessary to consider the appropriate placement of the subject in the curriculum, as it is necessary to implement home economics education in the entire elementary school education. Doing so will enable the acquisition of knowledge and skills needed in society and, therefore, the appropriate level of home economics literacy of the individual.

Factors Influencing Students’ Selection of Home Science in Public Secondary Schools

“…The image that Home Economics in Japan is an activity for women has not been completely eradicated (Branlat & Sano, 2021). In Hong Kong, Erjavsek (2021) points out that Home Economics contents are mainly intended for girls and not boys. Due to prevailing negative attitudes of teachers, parents, peers and patriarchal community, boys chose not to attend Home Economics classes.…”

Life Long Learning for Reskilling by Households Heads Towards Retirement for Sustainable Survival: Home Economics Perspective

“…According to Erjavsek (2021), the importance of Home Economics to the family, cannot be overemphasized. It interconnects disciplines to improve the lifestyle, nutrition, dietetics and general lifestyle pattern of the family.…”

Considering Self-Care in High School Home Economics Education with the Aid of Scoping Reviews of Mindfulness and Cooking and of Mindfulness and Knitting

“…It integrates people's daily practical tools, determined by cultural and societal changes, such as globalization, localization, and technological advances, which are considered difficult to standardize and seen as having a lower economic value towards society [15]. However, research indicates that the central role and curriculum of home economics should aim at promoting sustainable well-being on a personal and global level, which includes health-related self-care techniques, selfperception, self-confidence, positive quality of life [16], and mental-health well-being [17,18]. Through the emphasis on practical skills related to food and textile production, as well as its emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving, a teacher survey has also revealed that home economics education provides a good understanding of household and society sustainable development [18].…”