We administered a questionnaire survey to clarify the degree of university students' comprehension about fibers, and further analyzed how fibers were described in home economics textbooks they had used in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. Based on this analysis, we proposed that students should start learning about fibers in home economics at elementary school level. In addition, we also presented a Structural Diagram intended to deepen children's understanding of the nature of fibers.

The university students exhibited a poor understanding of the origins of natural fibers relative to the raw materials used in chemical fibers, and their knowledge of wool was also vague. While the word “fiber” ( sen'i in Japanese) appeared in all home economics textbooks used at elementary school, junior high school, and high school levels, not one included a passages that actually defined fibers. The elementary school textbooks in fact contained passages that risked causing misunderstandings about the meaning of fibers. Both junior high school and high school saw corresponding increases in the number of references to fibers in textbooks at each of these levels. Textbooks at high school level featured more detailed descriptions of new and improved fibers than of natural fibers. Wool was discussed only in terms of the difficulties associated with its handling, which emphasized its negative image.

Students' learning about clothing practice, which includes learning about fibers, was thus carried out based on insufficient descriptions of fibers in home economics textbooks. To improve this situation, we presented an instructional diagram designed to convey a structural understanding of the relationship between natural fibers and chemical fibers.