The Effects of Technology Education, Science, and Mathematics Integration Upon Eighth Grader's Technological Problem-Solving Ability
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of technology education, science, and mathematics (TSM) curriculum
integration on the technological problem-solving ability of eighth grade technology education students. The
researcher used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design to compare the performance of
students receiving correlated TSM integration to those not receiving integration in an adapted Technology,
Science, Mathematics Integration Project Activity (LaPorte & Sanders, 1993).
The students were to design, construct, and evaluate wind collectors to generate electricity. The collectors
were mounted on a generator for the pretest and posttest measurements. The measure for treatment effect
was the output wattage of the generator for each student's wind collector. The samples were drawn from
middle schools that had two technology education teachers in the same school, each teaching eighth graders.
The pilot study sample (N = 51) was selected from a middle school in rural south-central Virginia. The study
sample (N = 33) was selected from a middle school in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia.
Treatment group technology education teachers employed echnological problem solving, and they correlated
instruction of key concepts with science and mathematics teachers using the adapted TSM Integration
Activity. The control group technology education teachers did not correlate instruction with science and
mathematics teachers.
There was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups for technological problem
solving. Evidence suggested that students were applying science and mathematics concepts. The researcher
concluded that TSM curriculum integration may promote the application of science and mathematics
concepts to technological problem solving and does not hinder the technological problem-solving ability of
eighth technology education students.
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- Doctoral Dissertations [14901]