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.