Preprofessionals' Perceptions of Home Economics

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to describe undergraduate students' experiences and perceptions of home economics and to work with students to produce a description of those experiences and their relevance to an integrative home economics perspective. Data were gathered through semistructured individual interviews with a purposive sample of 14 seniors in a college of home economics at a large midwestern university. Findings indicated that students' perceptions of home economics ranged from female gender role expectations in early childhood to a currently functioning integrative perspective.