A consumer study evaluating the extent technology education textbooks use 1993 benchmarks for science literacy

Abstract

A review of how well introductory technology education textbooks incorporate the 1993 Benchmarks for Science Literacy were investigated. Important technology education definitions, readability, organization of content and actual substantive coverage of five sample issues in technology from Chapter 3, Nature of Technology, 1993 Benchmarks for Science Literacy text were determined for each textbook. The results indicated that only three of the seven introductory technology education textbooks studied have substantive coverage of the 1993 Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The table profiles allow a technology educator to begin to identify some textbook series that may be worthy of further investigation. The findings can help educators draw conclusions about what the textbook series can be expected to accomplish in terms of its potential for helping students learn issues in technology from Chapter 3 (Nature of Technology), 1993 Benchmarks for Science Literacy.