The implementation of technology education in secondary schools in the Free State province (urban areas)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implimentation of Technology as a subject in schools and to determine the attitudes of educators towards Technology as a subject and Outcomes-Based Education in general. The main aim of this study was to determine how successful the introduction of Technology Education (in Secondary Schools in the Free State Province urban areas) was, how the subject is being taught and what problems are experienced. The study also aimed to give a general overview and an international perspective of Technology Education. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the perceptions of educators of Technology Education, their training to present the subject and whether schools are equipped and resourced to present the subject effectively. Concerning the research methodology, a literature study was undertaken and experiences from other countries were studied. The approach was mainly qualitative and a non-experimental research was conducted. The population (schools) were selected by means of cluster sampling and the sample (Technology educators) by means of simple random sampling. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and structured interviews. The analysis was done by using a Likert-scale to obtain the opinions of the teachers, and to determine whether there were differences in the proportion of persons' opinions regarding the questions , the Chi-square (x2 ) value for homogeneity (Howell, 1997) was used. Technology is fast becoming a key learning area in tne curriculum of tertiary institutions as well as secondary and primary schools. Technology learnereducators should endeavour to prepare young people for life in a technological society. From an international perspective the investigation revealed that the way in which Technology Education has been organised differs from country to country, but that they had similar experiences and problems when they introduced the subject for the first time. Specialized subject teachers (Former Industrial Arts, Vocational Education, Industrial Technology specialists etc) usually teach Technology Education in the junior and senior secondary schools in the countries that were studied. One of the biggest problems was the shortage of Technology trained teachers. The investigation revealed that a very low percentage of educators feel that the implementation of Technology Education was successful and that schools were ready for the implementation. It further revealed that the level I standard of Technology Education in different schools are not the same. There also exists a need for specialised trained teachers to present Technology Education. The need for appropriate equipment and physical facilities also came across. There are still problems I shortcomings regarding the subject Technology Education at schools. The study further revealed that a high percentage of educators feel that the subject Technology Education does have a place in the Further Education and Training sector.