A Case Study on the ‘Theory of Home Economics Education’ Using Online Problem-Based Learning

Abstract

The objective of this study was to conduct a ‘Theory of Home Economics Education’ class using online problem-based learning(PBL) for prospective home economics(HE) teachers. The aim was to enable teachers to analyze the learning experience in the classroom, and to prepare operational strategies for online PBL on this basis. In order to achieve this, online PBL was applied to 31 students participating in the ‘Theory of Home Economics Education’ at the Department of HE in a university in Seoul, and the results were collected from the learning process. This also involved a reflective journal, a survey on the learning experience and the impacts was conducted. Moreover, analysis was undertaken on the learning activities, learning difficulties, and improvements. The main research results are as follows. Firstly, students accessed Webex, an online video conferencing program, and performed two PBL tasks: ‘Making Home Economics Promotion Materials’ and ‘Presenting Teaching Strategies to Improve Learner's Immersion in Online Classes’. Secondly, learners established their own identity of HE learned about the HE class plans themselves. They also encountered realistic experience as HE teachers and learned communication and collaboration skills. Furthermore, they acquired creative problem-solving and self-directed learning ability, community consciousness, as well as the attitude of consideration and respect. Thirdly, students lacked knowledge of learning content and encountered difficulty in solving data research, analysis processes, and unstructured problems. They were affected by a lack of time and encountered problem in communicating with other team members in an online environment. As an improvement in online class operation, it was considrered necessary to reduce the learning burden by securing time and reducing the number of assignments, as well as to explain active interaction with instructors and PBL.