Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Home economics students--Iowa--Cedar Falls; Home economics students; Home economics--Study and teaching (Higher); Sex differences in education; Sex role; Iowa--Cedar Falls;

Abstract

Issues related to providing meaningful education for men as well as women in home economics were explored using a three-part written instrument. Part I contained 24 questions. Each provided choices between five subject matter areas of home economics and choices between Task-Thing and Understanding-Human applications of home economics curricula. Part II consisted of two scales from Dunn's Marriage Role Expectation Inventory which measured equalitarian vs. traditional role expectations in the areas of homemaking and care of children. Part III provided data regarding preferred course titles and how likely a respondent would be to enroll in a university general education home economics course. The subjects were 192 men and 253 women enrolled in general education social science courses at UNI during spring semester of 1975. The findings were: 1. Hypothesis I and related findings: No relationship was found between the equalitarian expectations and home economics curriculum preferences. Most men and women in this sample (93.7%) held equalitarian role expectations. More were equalitarian regarding homemaking (94.8%) than regarding care of children (85.3%). Women had significantly (.05 level) more equalitarian expectations than did men. 2. Hypothesis II and related findings: Management curricula (decisions, careers, efficiency, finances, and consumers) were more frequently preferred by male students. In descending order of preference other areas were: Family, Housing, Nutrition, and Clothing (fewer than 60% of the men chose even one item in this area). Men were significantly more favorable toward Management and Housing than were female respondents. For women the most frequent curriculum choices were related to the Family. In descending order of preference other areas were: Management, Housing, Nutrition, and Clothing. Women had significantly higher scores in Family and in Clothing than did male respondents. 3. Hypothesis III and related findings. No relationship was found between equalitarian role expectations and the likelihood for a male student to enroll in a home economics course. Women were significantly more likely to enroll. However, 54.3% of the men stated they would be likely or somewhat likely to take a home economics course if it would fit their academic schedules and they would receive credit for it as a general education elective. 4. Hypothesis IV and related findings: Both men and women appeared to prefer Understanding-Human curricula to Task-Thing curricula. Scores were significantly different from chance (.05 level) in both directions for female respondents. For male respondents only Task-Thing scores were significantly different from chance. 5. Hypothesis V and related findings: Women were significantly more favorable toward the course title "General Home Economics" than were men. However, both men and women more frequently preferred "Problems in Contemporary Living." Less than 10% of either gender chose "Human Ecology."

Year of Submission

1975

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Home Economics

First Advisor

Janice Morgan

Second Advisor

Gene M. Lutz

Third Advisor

Clifford G. McCollum

Comments

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Date Original

1975

Object Description

1 PDF file (178 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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