The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental data for textbooks and guides on nutritional education. In addition, it is to maximize the students' learning effectiveness of dietary life and nutritional education by finding the tendency of learni...
The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental data for textbooks and guides on nutritional education. In addition, it is to maximize the students' learning effectiveness of dietary life and nutritional education by finding the tendency of learning subjects and extracting improvements of current middle school's textbooks based on food and nutrition.
The research was performed on a total of 37 textbooks based on Technology & Home Economics, Science, and Physical Training which has been adopted by current curriculum of middle schools. A survey was invested among middle school students who have completed those course of studies. The questionnaire consists of 28 question items on 'recognition of food and nutrition section' , `preferences of food and nutrition section contents', 'general properties' about survey participants. The collected data were analyzed the frequency and percentage, χ2 verification, One-Way ANOVA, and Duncan's multiple range test by using the SPSS program.
The results obtained by this research is as follows:
1. Analysis of textbooks showed that, all three of the courses mostly treated on 'functions of nutrients' and 'obesity', and physical training course dealt with 'smoking, drinking, and drug abuse' in detail more than others. While physical training course managed 'food poisoning' more in detail, technology & home economics course didn't mention the subject at all. It was found that, there is no contents of 'cooking safety regulations' on 3rd grade middle school technology & home economics textbooks, and there was only two kinds of technology & home economics textbooks for 1st and 3rd grade which incorporated 'personal hygiene when cooking' respectively. Most of the 3rd grade textbooks also included 'dining etiquettes', but other subjects of food culture were scattered on various units.
2. Recognition of food and nutrition unit was found to be 'helpful at actual life'(43%), and at the same time 'not easy to adopt to real life'(42.5%) which turned out that the getting knowledge of education was thought to be helpful but adopting and practicing it in real life was difficult. On the question about personal change after learning the food and nutrition unit, most of them answered 'able to do simple cooking'(28.5%). The students answered that the most comprehensive subject was 'eating habits and nutrition problems of juvenile'(26.2%).
3. In the preferences of food and nutrition section contents, 'the principle of cooking and cooking practice'(3.96%) was ranked the highest, and 'proper eating habits of juvenile', and 'nutrition problems of juvenile' were followed.
4. On the demand for dietary habit and attitude education survey, are more than half answered 'not being done'(55.1%) dietary habit and attitude education at home, and are answered 'needed'(41.1%) for dietary habit and attitude education at school. Additionally, When educating food and nutrition at school, both boys and girls preferred 'classes using video medias such as movies and slides'(p<.05). The boys wanted to learn 'proper dining etiquettes'(23.5%), and girls wanted to learn 'weight management'(43.8%) for further courses of food and nutrition(p<.001).
On the basis of the above textbook analysis, students' demands for food and nutrition education, and the developed contents. it is essential to develop nutrition education programs and textbooks for middle school students to learn knowledge of nutrition and establish proper dietary habit, considering their educational level and preferences.