Action Research with Technology Education Teachers: Experiences Gained during Learners Projects Supervision Process

Abstract

This is an account of Action Research (AR) study, which was conducted in Limpopo Province of South Africa within Capricorn Region at Mankweng Circuit. Samples of five (5) secondary schools were used by engaging senior phase technology education (TE) teachers with cyclic and spiral intervention strategies of AR. This investigation intends to conscientise technology teachers with the important of emphasising technology process to their learners when they do their projects. To inculcate within teachers a culture of project process supervision, emancipation paradigm intervention was followed. These AR intervention strategies of observing, planning acting and reflecting with technology teachers yielded results that have emancipated the unqualified and under qualified technology teachers to take cognisance and diligently supervise each and every step of the technology process that their learners are passing through. The investigation incorporated structured interviews, logs of meetings, reflective questionnaires, non-participative observations and audio/visual capturing of lesson plans for data gathering. The study only reflects a week of engagement with TE teachers from the year long AR contact sessions. In every AR study data is harvested in any intervention with participants. The study reveals that the TE teachers were more interested with the end product of the process which is the project and less interested with the process of making the project. It is therefore recommended that technology teachers have a technology process monitoring tool which will guide them each and every step of the way to supervise their learners in project construction. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n2p507