Abstract

Home economics (HE) is a subject containing values that help establish students’ morality. Currently, students are intensively exposed to information from the internet that can change their attitudes and behavior. This study aims to identify the effect of HE knowledge on junior high school (JHS) students’ attitudes and behavior. Using simple random sampling, this ex post facto study collected data from 160 students from two JHSs in Semarang. Data on their HE knowledge was collected using a 20-question test, whereas data on their attitudes and behavior were collected using a valid and reliable 4-point Likert scale. The study employs simple regression analyses with normality and homogeneous tests to meet the analyses’ requirements. The results of the analyses show that HE knowledge significantly affects students’ attitudes and behavior. HE knowledge also significantly influences the combination of attitude and behavior. The effect of HE knowledge on students’ attitudes was approximately 17.6 percent, whereas the impact of HE knowledge on students’ behavior was about 17.1 percent. On average, JHS students scored fairly well in terms of HE knowledge. As HE knowledge is a crucial determinant of attitude and behavior, HE teachers should improve students’ progress in this subject.