15FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION NATIONAL STANDARDSNASAFACS • V-TECS © 1998Chapter 3Chapter 3Chapter 3Chapter 3Chapter 3PrPrPrPrProcess focess focess focess focess for For For For For FAAAAACS National StandarCS National StandarCS National StandarCS National StandarCS National StandardsdsdsdsdsIntrIntrIntrIntrIntroductionoductionoductionoductionoductionProcess has been addressed in the FACS National Standards Project in two ways: throughreasoning for action, an overarching, process-oriented standard; and through process questionsprovided for the content standards in each of the 16 Family and Consumer Sciences areas of study.The purposes of this chapter are to provide background information on process, to explain thestructure of the process questions, and to present the reasoning for action standard.ImporImporImporImporImportance of Prtance of Prtance of Prtance of Prtance of ProcessocessocessocessocessProcess is a vehicle for obtaining, analyzing, and using content. Costa and Liebmann (1997)describe processes as the “how” of learning while content is the “what.” The emphasis on processwithin FACS National Standards is grounded in needs and issues of society and in developments inFamily and Consumer Sciences Education.The importance placed on process does not in any way imply that all Family and ConsumerSciences Education programs are expected to pursue a single approach to teaching reasoning orany of the other processes. Just as there are many different facets to process, there are manydifferent strategies that FACS educators could use to help their students develop the understandingsand abilities established as standards and goals for their own programs.Needs and Issues of SocietyNeeds and Issues of SocietyNeeds and Issues of SocietyNeeds and Issues of SocietyNeeds and Issues of SocietyVocational educators and other trend watchers predict that over their lifetimes, today’s students willwork in several career areas and hold a multitude of different jobs, several of which may not yet beinvented. Given the certainty of future change, today’s students are best served by education which16FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION NATIONAL STANDARDSNASAFACS • V-TECS © 1998causes them to recognize and develop their own abilities to identify problems, to locate and synthesizeinformation, and to work with others to create solutions (Delisle, 1997; Costa & Liebmann, 1997).The need for process in education was emphasized in the 1991 report of the Secretary’s Commissionon Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Based on information gathered from businesses andindustries across the country, the SCANS determined that process-oriented foundations andcompetencies are “at least as important as technical expertise . . . The competencies represent theattributes that today’s high-performance employer seeks in tomorrow’s employee” (U.S. Department ofLabor, 1991, p. xvi). The SCANS foundations and competencies harmonize closely with processesneeded for and developed through Family and Consumer Sciences Education.Developments in Family and Consumer Sciences EducationFox (in press) explains that the ground work for the current shift in emphasis to a process from atechnical approach was established several years ago with the publication of Home Economics: ADefinition (Brown & Paolucci, 1979). The authors described the issues families face as “practicalproblems,” or value-based questions about what actions individuals and families should take inaddressing the concerns they face over time. Central to the practical problems approach is thatparticipants (students) identify the problems families face and the participants themselves ultimatelydetermine what they need to know and which actions to take. The practical problems approachessentially inverts traditional approaches to education by beginning with questions, emphasizingexamination of valued ends and alternative means for accomplishing them, and addressing only theparticular information and skills needed to identify and take the selected actions.In the practical problems approach, the uniqueness of the knowledge base or curriculum content doesnot come from the uniqueness of the concepts, but rather from the questions themselves. From apractical problems perspective, content develops in response to the questioning. It is important to startwith issues in which students have some knowledge and then make new knowledge available to themas interests and concerns increase. Using this approach, content fits when it becomes time to practiceprocess, and when students are able to find answers to their own relevant questions (Rhode IslandDepartment of Elementary and Secondary Education, 1997; Redick, 1995; Stone, 1993).A number of recent Family and Consumer Sciences Education curriculum initiatives reflect the practicalproblems approach, with an emphasis on integrating process and content. This emphasis is apparentin Family and Consumer Sciences Education curriculum in at least 13 states, based on informationprovided to the national standards project. Further information about curriculum materials is availablein the references section.17FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION NATIONAL STANDARDSNASAFACS • V-TECS © 1998Framework for Process QuestionsDuring the Park City Meetings, it was decided that a definite structure was required to provide a basisfor the development of the process questions that address the practical problems approach. Anextensive list of processes that students would ideally learn and utilize within their study of FACS wereidentified by the participants at the meeting.Organizing ProcessesMost processes related to Family and Consumer Sciences can be categorized into four organizingprocesses: thinking, communication, leadership, and management. While it is recognized that some ofthe plethora of processes that could be dealt with in the FACS curriculum could fall outside of these fourorganizers, or that specific definitions could make for an uncomfortable fit, it was widely agreed thatthese four would be used for the project in order to create a manageable structure for the developmentof process questions for the national standards. Brief explanations of the four organizing processesfollow.ThinkingThinking processes encompass complex, multifaceted activities of the mind. The process area of“thinking” in the FACS National Standards emphasizes “directed” thinking or “the use of cognitive