The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology: Teachers Perspectives

Richard LaMonte Colorado State University Fort Collins Co

March !"1#

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

Abstract $hile the Industrial Technology has %een an integral part of education in the United States the no&enclature used to descri%e these progra&s has changed a nu&%er of ti&es' Industrial Technology has %een (no)n as Industrial *rts +ocational ,ducation and Career and Technical ,ducation -CT,.' The definition pertaining to this area of education has %een further co&plicated )ith the introduction of Science Technology ,ngineering and Mathe&atics -ST,M. into the real& of Industrial Technology' The teaching philosophies of educators in Industrial Technology have an i&pact on a nu&%er of aspects )ithin the educational setting' In an atte&pt to learn &ore a%out the i&pact that teaching philosophy has on the Industrial Technology classroo& a study )as conducted in an atte&pt to learn &ore a%out educational philosophy of the educator in relation to classroo& &anage&ent attitudes to)ards su%/ect content and &aterial covered' The responses suggest that teaching philosophy and vie)s a%out Industrial Technology progra&s influences a nu&%er of aspects )ithin the educational setting' These influences affect not only content that is covered %ut also the structure attitudes and perceptions )ithin the educational setting'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

Introduction and Background Industrial technology classes are returning to popularity in education for a nu&%er of reasons' Industrial technology classes fall under the u&%rella of Career and Technical ,ducation -CT,. )hich has %een through a nu&%er of iterations ho)ever1 the funda&ental %asics of these progra&s re&ain the sa&e' CT, incorporates a diverse range of classes including consu&er and fa&ily affairs -for&ally called ho&e econo&ics. culinary arts co&puter science and &ore traditional industrial technology classes' In part the reason for these changes has %een %ased in the reali2ation that traditional s(ills that )ere once taught in secondary education are no longer %eing offered resulting in a lac( of s(illed la%or )hich is seen to i&pact a )ide range of industries' 3ther reasons for the ree&ergence of CT, progra&s include increased e&phasis on at4ris( students t)enty4 first century s(ills and the race to the top initiatives that are &andated %y govern&ent' In addition there have %een studies that correlate reduction in dropout rates )ith increases in CT, progra&s )ith the theory that CT, progra&s provide tangi%le s(ills for the student that )ill not continue their educational pursuits -,ducational Progress of ,ducational Refor& !"10.' This shift in e&phasis to)ards CT, progra&s also has an effect on industrial technology progra&s' In addition to the gro)th in the range of CT, progra&s ST,M is %eing intergraded into industrial technology to provide authentic hands on e5perience for )ould %e engineers and technical s(ills for students that plan on entering s(illed trades' This change in e&phasis has %oth good and %ad &erit' CT, progra&s offer tangi%le s(ills to a )ide range of students regardless of future educational plans' 6o)ever CT, also

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology increases the educational re7uire&ents %y integration of acade&ic and vocational

education articulation %et)een seg&ents of education providing closer lin(ages %et)een school and )or( )hile re7uiring states to develop syste&s of perfor&ance &easures and standards such as literacy and nu&eracy to individuals that do not often see the %enefits of education -6istory and 8ro)th of CT, 8ordon 6RC !""0.' Industrial technology has suffered fro& a lac( of credi%ility )ithin the last t)enty years due to a shifting e&phasis on college4%ased education tracts -,ducation for )or( $or(: * revie) essay of historical cross4cultural and disciplinary perspectives on vocational education ,ducational Theory +olu&e 9! :u&%er ! 1"10. *s a result &uch of the &aterial that is availa%le is &ore than thirty years old and anti7uated fro& not only a technical perspective %ut also a philosophical perspective' This change in philosophy has resulted in a li&ited a&ount of relia%le data related to &odern industrial technology progra&s' *ll of the literature revie) &aterial )as related to vocational education industrial technology and CT, and ST,M progra&s' The literature ranged fro& historical revie) of vocational education to govern&ental influences and educational refor& )ithin the areas of industrial technology and ST,M' *ll of the literature that )as revie)ed )as )ritten )ithin the last t)enty years )ith at least ;"< %eing less than t)o years old' $hile industrial technology progra&s have e5isted in a nu&%er of different for&s )ithin the United States changes in &ade in no&enclature regarding definitions a%out industrial technology progra&s and changes in educational trends have affected ho) these progra&s are vie)ed )ithin the fra&e )or( of education -8oodsell !"";.' The personal %eliefs of educators pertaining to industrial education no&enclature and vie)s of personal educational philosophy )ithin the classroo& )ere e5a&ined to deter&ine the

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology affect that these %eliefs have in the types of classes taught and the &ethodology that )as used )ithin the classroo&' Many of the philosophical disagree&ents in industrial education ste& fro& internal a&%iguity a%out the &aterial %eing taught' 3ne side of the de%ate has historically %een represented as industrial arts )hile the other side has %een non4vocational -Lessons fro& 6istory: Industrial arts= Technology education as a case

>ournal of vocational and technical education 1??@. thus the 7uestion re&ains a%out ho) an educatorAs vie) of industrial technology progra&s and educational philosophy influence education in industrial technology CT, and ST,M progra&s' In this action research pro/ect nu&%er of 7uestions )ere developed in an atte&pt to learn &ore a%out the effects that a teachers educational philosophy has on teaching style area of education and &anage&ent style the 7uestions as(ed a nu&%er of 7uestions pertaining to personal %eliefs and effective styles of teaching )ithin these progra&s' In addition the 7uestionnaire as(ed participants to provide infor&ation %ased on personal vie)s as to the su%/ect &atter %eing taught' Literature Review +ocational education has %een re%randed a nu&%er of ti&es )ithin the past half century -Lessons fro& 6istory: Industrial arts= Technology education as a case >ournal of +ocational and Technical ,ducation 1??@.' Classes in vocational education )ere initially structured to provide a path for the transition of a high school student fro& the educational to industry assu&ing that %lue collar /o%s )ould provide a path to the &iddle class' Many of these /o%s )ere high paying union positions in industrial centers -College can %e a tough sell B' Mangan The Chronicle of 6igher ,ducation !"10.' 6o)ever changes in industry and in attitudes regarding post4secondary education over the past

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology thirty years have dictated changes in the definition of vocational education' So&e of the changes have %een driven %y changes in society industry and attitudes a%out this type of hand4on )or( -Lessons fro& 6istory: Industrial arts= Technology education as a case >ournal of vocational and technical education 1??@.' The current %elief in education is that all students should %e prepared for college' 6o)ever the statics that have %een used for pro&oting the %enefits of post secondary education do not provide ade7uate support for this philosophy' * current lac( of s(illed la%or is da&aging the industrial %ase of the United States and industrial technology

for&ally (no)n as vocational education can provide students )ith a path to industry and )ell paying s(illed /o%s' Industrial technology is only the &ost current iteration of vocational education' *s technology advances vocational education has %een forced to change the content and su%/ect &atter taught along )ith definitions used to descri%e such progra&s' There are currently a nu&%er of different standards )ithin the area of industrial technology that re7uire changes in teaching &ethodology and style' So&e of the acrony&s that are used include career and technical education -CT,. industrial technology industrial arts technical education and engineering education' Historical Perspective Many countries around the )orld still use so&e for& of the vernacular of vocational education to descri%e the course content that )ill %e taught to advance students fro& education to industry' In a nu&%er of industriali2ed countries progra&s are designed to transition students into the )or( force' These progra&s are (no)n as +ocational and ,ducational Training -+,T.' They are often a &ulti4tiered trac( syste&s

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology )here students are placed %ased on testing and aptitude' The &ost nota%le of these progra&s co&e fro& the 8er&an spea(ing regions of ,urope -Buchin(e !"10.' The United States has a long legacy of vocational education' Many of the ideas surrounding vocational education )ere %ased on needs of an agricultural society and prevailing ideas a%out education' Part of the philosophy for creating agricultural -land

grant. colleges )as %ased in the ideas a%out teaching vocational education and providing a s(illed and educated )or( force that )as needed at the ti&e -8oodsell !"";.' The changes %rought a%out %y the industrial revolution influenced the content %eing taught in schools' The S&ith46ughes *ct of 1?1@ )as one of the first atte&pts to esta%lish vocation education syste& on a national scale' Legislative Influences The passage of the S&ith46ughes act esta%lished vocational education and industrial arts as a part of the educational platfor& and provided federal support for such progra&s' 3ne of the pri&ary &eans of supports for the vocational education progra& )as the addition of su%sidies for progra&s that )ere classified under vocational education or industrial arts' There )as little distinction %et)een vocational education and industrial arts' Many of these classes )ere designed to teach students to )or( )ith their hands )ithout focus in a general educational setting %ut not for a specific occupation -8oodsell !"";.' The 1?90 vocational education act provided a ne) focus on i&proving progra&s that )ere classified as vocational education although there )as never a clear distinction %et)een vocational education and industrial arts -8oodsell !"";.' Changes included additional support for vocational educational progra&s and increased the a%ility for

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology participation of students )ith disa%ilities' Further changes in 1?9C increased the

opportunities for students )ith disa%ilities and changed the focus of vocational education progra&s and %roadened the scope of vocational education progra&s -De Moura Castro !""!.' Changes in no&enclature pertaining to vocational education and industrial arts started in the early 1?@"Es' Universities started to rena&e vocational educational and industrial arts progra&s to industrial technology %ased on changes in the philosophical ideas associated )ith changes in teaching &ethodology and trends in industry -+ol( 1??0.' +arious changes in legislation during the 1?@"Es and 1?C"Es increased the access of vocational education progra&s for a )ide range of students' So&e of these students )ere econo&ically challenged )hile others discri&ination %ased on gender' So&e of the changes in legislation included provisions for on the /o% training post secondary training and part ti&e )or( progra&s -8ordon !""0.' Further changes included the passage of the Carl D' Per(ins +ocational and *pplied Technology ,ducation *ct -1??". )hich increased the cooperation %et)een school and )or( integration of acade&ic and vocational progra&s and the &andate for states to develop standards in the area of industrial technology' The School to $or( 3pportunities *ct -S$3* 1??#. addressed the shortage of s(illed )or(ers in the United States and i&ple&ented progra&s designed to address the shortage of s(illed )or(ers' The S$3* e&phasi2ed the preparation of students for entrance in the )or(force including providing infor&ation pertaining to occupations career guidance )or( %ased learning and career %ased paternities' 3ne of the funda&ental changes that occurred during the 1?C"Es involved the re%randing of vocational education to industrial technology )ith the %elief that industrial

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

technology )as &ore closely aligned )ith acade&ic goals' 6o)ever during this period of ti&e industrial technology )as not vie)ed as a %asic necessity of education for &any school districts and trends favored progra&s that )ere dee&ed to %e F%ac( to %asicsF' Thus a nu&%er of industrial technology progra&s )ere eli&inated or reduced -Foster 1??@.' 6o)ever govern&ent progra&s continued to focus on the need for industrial technology progra&s in secondary schools' Changes in federal educational goals continued and in the 1??"Es revisions to the Per(ins *ct )ere &ade to include student e5posure to industry develop e5pand and utili2e ne) technology and added accounta%ility for industrial education progra&s' In !""9 it )as &andated that the career paths for&ally grouped under industrial technology only a decade and a half earlier )ould %e designated as career and technical education -CT,. rather than other older versions -Buchin(e !"10.' In addition to the traditional classes that are covered under CT, li(e )ood shop %roader acade&ic goals re7uire classes such as culinary arts career planning drafting &echanical design and auto&otive technology to %e covered under CT,' During this sa&e period of ti&e legislation li(e :o Child Left Gehind and Race to the Top placed greater e&phasis on accounta%ility' *lthough federal progra&s detailed educational goals &any states did not feel that the regulations )ent far enough to prepare students for transition into the )or(ing )orld' Much of the perception a%out the lac( of training ca&e directly fro& industry' In addition there )as the %elief that all students should go to college and that teaching technical s(ills )as not the o%ligation of secondary schools %ut rather post4secondary schools' * nu&%er of states including California 3hio Bentuc(y +irginia and :orth Carolina have instituted career paths through CT, progra&s designed to directly

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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transition students to )or(' So&e of the state progra&s have different diplo&as %ased on the su%/ect &aterial covered' Many of these progra&s have %een designed in con/unction )ith industry to provide training prior to e&ploy&ent' It is esti&ated that appro5i&ately ;0< of all potential e&ployees )ill need significant training prior to e&ploy&ent -,ducation Co&&ission of the States !"10.' *dditional considerations a%out CT, progra&s center on at ris( students' CT, progra&s have %een designed to identify students )ho are at ris( of either failing to &a(e acade&ic progress to the ne5t grade level or of dropping out of school' For these students CT, progra&s are designed to help students )ith individual learning plan finding the correct progra& of study identification of occupational and educational goals' 6o)ever is should %e noted that the data a%out drop out rates and enroll&ent in CT, courses do not see& to corro%orate this position -Go2ic( and Dalton !"10.' *nother advantage of CT, progra&s is that &any progra&s offer dual credit courses to ease the transition fro& secondary to post4secondary schools -,ducation Co&&ission of the States !"10. in addition &any CT, progra&s have %een incorporated into state econo&ic and )or(force develop&ent plans' These progra&s are designed to provide an educated and s(illed )or(force' Summary *lthough CT, has %een through a nu&%er iterations the funda&ental %asics re&ain the sa&e' 3riginally called vocational education CT, see&s to %e retuning to popularity in education' So&e of the reason for these changes is the reali2ation that traditional s(ills that )ere once taught are no longer %eing covered and resulting in a lac( of s(illed la%or )hich is da&aging to industry' 3ther reasons for the ree&ergence of CT,

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology progra&s include increased e&phasis on &a(ing learning authentic and of high untility value for ris( students the i&portance of !1st century s(ills and the race to the top initiatives' Action Research Approach *ction research is a school or classroo& %ased approach to in7uiry or understanding of teaching or learning' Gecause of the shifting nature of CT, in schools this pro/ect focused on teachers and their interpretations and perspectives in industrial technology' Different &ethods )ere e5a&ined to deter&ine instructorAs educational

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philosophy and the effects )ithin the instructional setting' So&e of the &ethods that )ere investigated included o%servations intervie)s and surveys' It )as decided that a survey )ould provide &uch of the needed infor&ation a%out the effects of educational philosophy and as a result a short 7uestionnaire )as sent out to deter&ine the educational philosophy of teachers )ho )or( in the area of industrial technology' Participants The participants )ere selected %ased on the content area %eing taught' Many of the participants are educators )or(ing )ithin an industrial technology progra&s )hile others teach ST,M progra&s' There )ere additional participants that )ere selected %ased on educational topics covered or for&er training such as for&er industrial technology educators or engineering progra&s outside of the real& of traditional education' Many of the educators ca&e fro& other professions rather than teaching' 3f the total participants selected one participant )as fe&ale1 all of the participants taught at least one ST,M class and &any taught a co&%ination of ST,M and industrial technology classes'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology Research esign This action research pro/ect used a survey &ethod design and 7uestionnaire

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instru&ent to solicit participant input' The 7uestionnaire )as designed to learn a%out the educational philosophy of educators in relation to su%/ect &atter taught' The 7uestionnaire design relates the educational philosophy and classroo& &anage&ent to personal vie)s of su%/ect &atter %eing taught' The 7uestionnaire also contains &aterial related to individual vie)s of industrial technology Instrumentation The 7uestionnaire contained si5 short ans)er 7uestions )ith the final 7uestion %eing %ro(en into t)o separate parts' The 7uestions are designed to provide the participants ade7uate space for responses and open reflection a%out personal %eliefs' The follo)ing 7uestions )ere as(ed of each respondent' 1' !' 0' #' ;' 9a' $hat area of Industrial Technology do you teachH -Please e5pand if in &ore than a single area. Please descri%e your philosophy of education' $hat are the &ost effective teaching &ethods for industrial technology coursesH $hat are the least effective teaching &ethods for industrial technology coursesH Please descri%e your classroo& &anage&ent plan

LotAs of ter&s are used to descri%e these types of courses in industrial technology for e5a&ple a teacher &ight teach: ST,M vocational education CT, engineering etc'''Can you provide &ore of a definitive definition of the content area that you teachH 9%' $here do you see your progra& )ithin the spectru& of industrial technologyH

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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!onvenience Sampling Procedure The 7uestionnaire )as sent via e&ail to ten participants' The participants )ere identified &ainly through professional connections throughout :orthern Colorado school districts )hile other participants )ere selected through personal connections -for&er instructor or associate.' *ll of the participants )ere visited to o%serve different aspect of their progra&s' *ll of the participants )ere o%served )ithin an educational environ&ent to )itness individual progra&s and each participant )as given opportunity to sho)case different areas of education )ithin industrial technology' Procedure *ll of the 7uestions )ere structured as open response and designed to gain insight into the instructors vie)s of teaching industrial technology' ,ach 7uestion )as designed to learn a%out ho) personal vie)s philosophy and &anage&ent style influence su%/ect &atter taught' The 7uestions )ere also designed to classify different vie)s of educational progra&s )ith historical vie)s of industrial technology' The data fro& the 7uestionnaires )ere analy2ed utili2ing a 7ualitative te5t analysis progra& :+ivo 1"' The infor&ation )as put into and analysis progra& )here the total )ord count )as analy2ed and &a/or the&es )ere developed %ased on )ord count and occurrence for each 7uestion )ithin the 7uestionnaire' These responses )ere then categori2ed %ased on reoccurring the&es -nodes.' *fter all of the 7uestions )ere e5a&ined the data )as placed into &a/or the&es that defined the scope of the study' In addition to the place&ent of the data into categories the conte5t of each response )as analy2ed to develop %ac(ground a%out the&es )ithin each category'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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"ualitative ata Analysis *fter the initial )ord count and association )as co&pleted the&es )ere developed the )ords )ere clustered %ased on reoccurrence and association )ithin each 7uestion' Theses the&es )ere further clustered %ased on the conte5t that the associated )ords shared' $hile the &ain focus of the research )as on the conte5t and %eliefs of educators in industrial technology and the effects that these %eliefs have on education in industrial technology secondary the&es %eca&e apparent' These secondary the&es )ere categori2ed as industrial technology education and engineering' The secondary categories provided the co&pilation of all of the &ain the&es that )ere generated through the 7uestionnaire' $hile the 7uestionnaire consisted of si5 7uestions it )as deter&ined that the &ain the&es could %e categori2ed into the three categories )ith the secondary the&es providing the %asis of the classification )ithin each the&e' The three &a/or the&es )ere deter&ined %y e5a&ining each 7uestion and then deter&ining the &a/or the&e prevalent )ithin' Figure 1 contains the outline of the the&es that )ere developed fro& the initial )ord count'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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Figure 1' Initial $ord Count The&es' -*ppendi5 * sho)s the ra) data relationships )ith all of the &a/or the&es. Iuestions 1 9a and 9% provided the %asis for the industrial technology the&e )hich )as the first &a/or the&e that )as e5a&ined' So&e of the &a/or (ey )ords that ca&e fro& the analysis of the responses )ere in fact industrial technology ho)ever other the&es )ere also prevalent' So&e of the other the&es included &anage&ent philosophy education ST,M plan teach classes students and classroo&' *ll of these the&es )ere &entioned &ultiple ti&es in separate portions of the 7uestionnaire' So&e of the conte5t that )as &entioned included Farea of industrial technologyF Fprinciples of engineeringF and Ffocused on the traditional educational classesF' Figure ! is the graphical representation of the )ord association *ppendi5 G contains the (ey the&es'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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Figure !' 8raphical Representation of $ord *ssociations' -*ppendi5 G sho)s the ra) data associations. The second &a/or the&e developed )as education' So&e of the &a/or the&es under the education category included classroo& students teach educational classes and ST,M' The educational the&e resulted fro& 7uestions 0 # and )as related to %est and least effective &ethods of teaching topics in industrial technology' So&e of the responses to 7uestions 0 and # include FIndustrial technology classes are traditionally hands onF and FThese classes need to %e a%le to provide this type of trainingF' Figure 0 contains the )ord association related to 7uestionnaire responses pertaining to education'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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Figure 0' $ord *ssociation Pertaining to ,ducation' -*ppendi5 C sho)s ra) data )ith (ey the&es.' The final the&e that )as developed )as %ased on 7uestions ! and ; pertaining to philosophy of education and classroo& &anage&ent style' So&e of the (ey ter&s that )ere noted included teach students ST,M classes educational classroo& hands on and geo&etry in construction' *ll of the&es develop the vie)s that educators have in regards to &ethods for functioning in an educational environ&ent' So&e of the responses included Fall of the students should learn a%out engineeringF and FST,M classes are

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology designed nationally )ith teaching standards in &indF' Figure # sho)s ho) ideas a%out educators philosophy of education'

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Figure #' ,ducators Ideas *round ,ducational Philosophy' -*ppendi5 D sho)ing (ey the&es identified in ra) data.'

Results *ll of the &a/or the&es developed around the concepts that )ere %ased on the&es that educators held around philosophies of industrial technology education' *lthough industrial technology is not the overarching the&e &any of the educators connect )ith the su%set the&es in industrial technology there is a connection )ith CT, and industrial technology education' These the&es are further reinforced %y the vie) of the participants

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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that vie) industrial technology in relation to CT, classes that these industrial technology classes )ere one of the corner stones for the foundations of &any CT, progra&s' The industrial technology the&e de&onstrated that there is a focus on not only the philosophy of education %ut also a focus on industrial technology and classroo& &anage&ent ' These the&es )hile related to industrial technology are also related to the &anage&ent style and course content of the &aterial %eing taught' The difference %et)een education and engineering is %ased on the conte5t of the 7uestions that )ere ans)ered' The education the&e de&onstrated that the there is a )ide range of responses to the 7uestion of ho) industrial technology integrates into traditional and &odern educational progra&s' The overarching the&e fro& the data analysis is that each educator has a connection to the su%/ect &atter %eing taught and that each educator has a different perspective of ho) the &aterial should %e taught and scope of the &aterial' $hile state standards e5ist each progra& has the fle5i%ility to deter&ine the %est &ethod of education' !onclusion Industrial technology has faced a nu&%er of changes not only in no&enclature %ut also in scope )ithin education' There is a )ide range of opinions a%out )hat industrial technology should loo( li(e )ithin the spectru& of &odern education' The educational philosophy of individual teachers defines ho) these classes are not only taught %ut perceived' The vie) that the industrial technology educator has pertaining to the classes taught and general vie) very %et)een individual %ut there are so&e inter)oven the&es'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology

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*ll of the participants noted that teaching industrial education progra&s re7uired an approach that )as hands4on and uni7ue to other disciplines )ithin education' The participants also noted that industrial technology progra&s utili2ed s(ills that )ere different fro& traditional progra&s %ecause of the hands4on nature of the &aterial learned' This see&s to %e evident even )hen loo(ing at engineering classes )hich traditionally have %een vie)ed closer to science classes than industrial technology classes' The overall the&e that )as generated can %e seen )hen loo(ing at industrial technology progra&s is the desire to educate' This the&e reoccurs continuously through all of the 7uestionnaires' $hen loo(ing at the responses the the&e of education is al)ays one of the &ost prevalent regardless of the &aterial'

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology References

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Go2ic( and Dalton -!""!.Career and Technical Education and Academic Progress at the End of High School: Evidence from the Education Longitudinal Study +ol( -1??0. Journal of Technology Education Marder -!"10. A Problem with STE :e&ce( -!"10. A Progressive a!!roach to integrating education technology ,ducational Progress of ,ducational Refor& -!"10. Bunchin(e -!"10. Education for wor": * revie) essay of historical cross4cultural and disciplinary perspectives on vocational education' +ocational ,ducation 6istory -!""!. Claudio #e Castro 8oodsell -!"";. $ocational Education 8ordon -!""0. History and %rowth of CTE Foster -1??@. Lessons from history: Industrial arts=technology education as a case

The Changing Face of Industrial Technology *ppendi5 *

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The Changing Face of Industrial Technology *ppendi5 G

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The Changing Face of Industrial Technology *ppendi5 C

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The Changing Face of Industrial Technology *ppendi5 D

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