| This study examined the effect of past home economics education and present employment upon the attitudes of mothers, with implications for their children's home economics education. Subjects were 174 mothers of third grade children in the schools of McPherson, Kansas. They completed a 5-part questionnaire based on 14 areas of home economics regarding their present employment, past home economics education, present feeling of competence in home economics, attitude toward more home economics, and their desire for home economics education for their children.;The study appeared to indicate some movement by the mothers toward a more equalitarian role desired for daughters and sons. The mothers preferred a curriculum for daughters that no longer emphasized the foods and clothing areas. All the mothers indicated a very strong desire for home economics education for their sons, as well as their daughters.;The results implicit in the study were that mothers endorsed for both daughters and sons two general areas of home economics as a priority. These areas were management concepts in home economics and family life. The working mothers showed a trend in the desire for their children to have more management concepts in home economics than did the non-working mothers.;Recommendations based on the results of the study were that boys be given full opportunity to participate in all home economics programs; all students should be required to take courses in the general area of management concepts of home economics and in family life; the home economics profession should be made aware of the significant value of past home economics education for mothers today; and more research should be done using the instrument of this study to monitor the effect of home economics education.;The results of the study were an endorsement of home economics education of the past, and for the future. Although working mothers took more home economics education than non-working mothers, all mothers indicated a strong feeling of competence today. They appeared to value home economics for the future of their children, and they strongly mandated home economics education for both daughters and sons. |
