Attitudes of teachers and students to the place of Home Economics in a mixed curriculum : a case study

Mlambo, Phares Jona Taindisa

Attitudes of teachers and students to the place of Home Economics in a mixed curriculum : a case study

Master Thesis

1995

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Centre for Educational Research

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The aim of the investigation is to assess the extent to which various initiatives aimed at improving the status of a technical subject like Home Economics (H/E), have helped to transform the attitudes and perceptions of teachers and students in a school in Zimbabwe. The study was carried out at Rusununguko Secondary School in Zimbabwe, where H/E was one of the technical subjects within a curriculum mainly dominated by academic subjects. Students and teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards H/E were assessed along the following dimensions: 1. The extent to which H/E is subjected to gender stereotyping; 2. The extent to which H/E is viewed as suitable for slow learners and low-achieving students; 3. The extent to which the subject suffers from subject choice constraints; 4. The extent to which H/E is viewed in terms of low academic and occupational expectations; 5. The extent to which the subject is perceived as offering low-status knowledge when compared to other subjects.