Wisconsin Technology Education Association teachers' perceptions of the need for a standards-based introductory technology education course required for all students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate technology education teachers' perceptions of the need for a standards-based, introductory technology education course for all seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth grade students in Wisconsin. Secondly, this research indicates the opinions of technology education teachers regarding the need for content in such a course. The population surveyed was a cluster sample of the members of the Wisconsin Technology Education Association. Members of this organization are typically teachers, professors, administrators, business people and other individuals that are affiliated with the field of technology education. The population for this sample who received a survey in July, 2004 needed to be members of WTEA, not college students, not retired or business members, and currently teaching technology education. Many technology education programs are facing funding problems, lack of consistency implementing technology education content, and the lack of a place in the core requirements next to science, math and other disciplines. The results of this study indicate that many technology education teacher in WTEA would support the implementation of an introductory technology course, designed as a requirement for all students. Many technology education teachers in this organization also indicated that they would not alter the content in any course developed and implemented as a requirement as long as the teachers had the facilities and equipment to implement such a course. If a standards-based, introductory technology education course is eventually implemented as requirement for all students, the developers of such a course must account for the variety of facilities and equipment available to deliver content that is consistently taught between school districts.