The purpose of this study was to compare the inadequacies of instructional space of public secondary vocational automotive mechanics laboratories in Virginia vocational technical centers and comprehensive high schools based upon the perceptions of automotive mechanics teachers. In addition, relationships of the rank orders of inadequacies were compared with the variables or (1) age or facility, (2) amount of teaching experience, (3) amount of trade experience, and (4) class size.

One hundred full-time teachers were utilised in this study. Twenty teachers were selected for the pre-survey and all one hundred teachers were utilized to gather data for the survey.

The following seven general questions were used to carry out the purpose of the study.

1. What are the inadequacies, in rank order, of the instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories in vocational technical centers and in comprehensive high schools as perceived by teachers in these two types of schools?

2. What is the relationship between the rankings of inadequacies made by automotive mechanics teachers concerning instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories in vocational technical centers and by teachers in comprehensive high schools?

3. What is the relationship between the rankings or inadequacies made by automotive mechanics teachers concerning instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories by teachers housed in oldest facilities and by those teachers housed in newest facilities?

4. What is the relationship between the rankings of inadequacies made by automotive mechanics teachers concerning instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories by teachers possessing the most teaching experience and by those teachers possessing the least teaching experience?

5. What is the relationship between the rankings or inadequacies made by automotive mechanics teachers concerning instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories by teachers possessing the most trade experience and by those teachers possessing the least trade experience?

6. What is the relationship between the rankings of inadequacies made by automotive mechanics teachers concerning instructional space in automotive mechanics laboratories by teachers possessing the largest class size and by those teachers possessing the smallest class size?

7. What other factors contribute to inadequate instructional space 1n automotive meclumics laboratories?

The Spearman Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient method was utilized to compare data in this study. The levels of significance were tested at the .05 level.

Based upon the findings or this study the following conclusions were reached:

The rankings of inadequacies by automotive mechanics teachers in vocational technical centers and in comprehensive high schools were similar in the following areas:

1. Rankings of inadequacies.

2. Teachers housed in oldest facilities.

3. Teachers housed in newest facilities.

4. Teachers with least teaching experience.

5. Teachers with most trade experience.

6. Teachers with large class size.

7. Teachers with small class size.

The rankings were dissimilar in the following areas:

1. Teachers with most teaching experience.

2. Teachers with least trade experience.