Technology Learning Area Research Articles

An analysis of the effectiveness of self-regulated learning program in the area of science and technology learning area for sixth-graders primary school students

<p>自主學習是可以被教導與學習的關鍵技能。本研究旨在採取「不等組前後測設計」的準實驗研究法及深度訪談，來評析國小六年級學生自然與生活科技領域自主學習方案。實驗結果、師生家長訪談均顯示：學生接受自主學習的方案實驗後，學習動機、自主共好等自主領域具顯著成長，學習策略則無顯著差異；實驗結果、師生家長的共同發現為自我效能、學習價值感、共好改善等三項自主行為具顯著成長，其餘六項自主行為的發現則有所差異。實驗組學生經方案實驗處理後，其在自然與生活科技領域的期末評量成績未顯著優於對照組，然師生家長均反應其能實踐自主學習。</p> <p> </p><p>Self-regulated learning is a key skill that can be taught and learned. This paper mainly uses the nonequivalent pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, and in-depth interviews to evaluate the self-regulated learning program in the area of science and technology for sixth-grade students of primary school. The results of the experiment, as well as the results of interviews with teachers, students, and parents, show that: after students have undergone the experiment of self-regulated learning programs, there has been significant growth in self-regulated learning fields such as learning motivation and the autonomous common good, while there are no significant differences in learning strategies; moreover, it is also found that the autonomous behavior of self-efficacy, learning value and common good improvement items has significant growth, and the other six items are different. There are some differences in the discovery of autonomous behavior. After the experimental process of this program, the final evaluation scores of students in the experimental group are not significantly better than those in the control group in the area of science and technology. However, the parents of the students and teachers all reflect that students can practice self-regulated learning.</p> <p> </p>

Using Mother-Tongue in Teaching of Science and Technology: Reference to the North-East and North-West Geo-Political Zones, Nigeria

This work conducted a study of language medium and the teaching of science and technology through the medium of mother-tongue in North-East and North-West Geo-Political Zones, Nigeria. a case study research design was used in collecting data for the study. We investigated some selected public primary school students in the two geo-political zones of the North-East and North-West. There are an estimated 100,000 primary school students in the two zones. Each zone is stratified along with the component. 18 schools were selected at random for the study from each geo-political zone. A minimum of 30 students were equally selected at random from each school from the zone under investigation. Questionnaires, oral interviews, and informal interactions were employed simultaneously to elicit information. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which holds that our thoughts are shaped by our native languages; and that speakers of different languages, therefore, think differently was used as the theoretical framework of analysis. The work discovered among other things that the science and technology learning area has various challenges as pointed out by the participants. On the whole, the work concludes that the people’s language is not only part of their socio-cultural heritage; it is the natural medium of thought, expression, and communication within that culture.

The Predictive Effect of Digital Literacy, Self-Control and Motivation on the Academic Achievement in the Science, Technology and Society Learning Area

The Predictive Effect of Digital Literacy, Self-Control and Motivation on the Academic Achievement in the Science, Technology and Society Learning Area

Interdisciplinary computational thinking with music and programming: a case study on algorithmic music composition with Sonic Pi

ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational Thinking (CT) has been recently integrated into new and revised Digital Technologies content (DTC) in the Technology learning area of the New Zealand School Curriculum. Objective: To aid this change, this research examined how CT supports learning outcomes in both music and programming with the Sonic Pi platform. Method: A mixed-methods case study designed by the researcher was developed and trialled in a regular middle school classroom. The design of instruments and analysis utilised a widely used CT assessment framework at a school level. Findings: Many successes and challenges not reported in the literature on how CT can support learning outcomes in music and programming were revealed. Implications: Provided some significant limitations are considered, the major implication of the results suggest educators can use Sonic Pi to support many learning outcomes in music and programming for interested students.

Secondary technology teachers’ perceptions and practice: Digital Technology and a future-focused curriculum in New Zealand.


 
 
 
 The Technology Learning Area statement in the New Zealand Curriculum has been recently reviewed to prioritise Digital Technology as a context for learning (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2007, 2017a). The emphasis provides the opportunity for teachers of technology education to guide learning in a future-focused manner, whilst also accommodating their students’ social and academic needs.Four potential school-based responses are proposed, which are asserted as being likely to emerge from this recent change. Findings from a qualitative research project inform discussion about how secondary technology teachers' pereceptions and interpretation of the Technology Learning Area curriculum statement can have an impact on their practices. The implications are discussed in relation to how teachers' practice can be affected by the discourse within which they teach, and to assert that a personalised approach to professional learning is necessary to enable a future-focused Technology Learning Area curriculum. 
 
 
 

Connecting Digital Technology and learners for the future: The implications of a revised Technology Curriculum in New Zealand.

The Technology Learning Area statement in the New Zealand Curriculum has been recently reviewed to prioritise Digital Technology as a context for learning (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2007, 2017a). The emphasis provides the opportunity for teachers of technology education to guide learning in a future-focused manner, whilst also accommodating their students’ social and academic needs. Four potential school-based responses are proposed, which are asserted as being likely to emerge from this recent change. Findings from a qualitative research project inform discussion about how secondary technology teachers’ perceptions and interpretation of the Technology Learning Area curriculum statement can have an impact on their practices. The implications are discussed in relation to how teachers’ practice can be affected by the discourse within which they teach, and to assert that a personalised approach to professional learning is necessary to enable a future-focused Technology Learning Area curriculum.

The Technological Knowledge Strand: Is that all there is?

@font-face { font-family: Arial; }@font-face { font-family: ＭＳ 明朝; }@font-face { font-family: ＭＳ 明朝; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Times New Roman; }span.MsoEndnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; } Many years' experience in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) training, reveals a disjunct between student career experience in communities of practice [i] and aspects of the technology learning area. ITE students find that little of the knowledge they bring from their careers is recognised by the strand designated to technological knowledge. After nearly twenty years of settlement and two national curriculum iterations, it is timely to review the efficacy of the learning area. This will establish whether there is indeed a common community understanding of the technology learning area and its intent. This paper looks at the Technological Knowledge strand. Further emphasis is placed on the strand’s Technological Modelling component, as this is an area familiar to students from their feed–in career experience [i] Communities of Practice are seen by Wenger (1998) as those where three key dimensions of mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire are present.

Perspectives on Technology Education in New Zealand: Twenty years of progress?

This paper provides an historical review of the implementation of the technology learning area in New Zealand secondary schools with a view to identifying aspects which may, or may not, have enabled success. The intention here is to build on previous studies and to consider issues which may have been problematic to some teachers and other stakeholders. By reflecting on this process it may be possible to provide further understanding of present and future needs, which can guide the continuing development of both the technology learning area and its ongoing implementation.The paper draws significantly from the author's experience as a professional development facilitator and pre-service technology teacher educator over a twelve year period. Through this work there has been opportunity to gain considerable understanding of issues concerning technology education, implementation, and the facilitation of professional development for teachers of technology.

An emancipation framework for technology education teachers: an action research study

This article reports on how action research (AR) was influential in designing an educational instrument to contribute to emancipating teachers with no formal training to teach technology as a subject in secondary schools. The subject technology is referred to using different names in different countries. Some call it ‘science and technology’ (Malawi/Bangladesh), others label it as ‘design and technology’ (UK/Botswana), in some instances it is dubbed ‘technology learning area’ (SA), while others term it ‘technology education’ (TE) (US/NZ/SA). A sample of 18 technology teachers from five secondary schools was engaged in the AR project reported on in this study. The research was designed from both a critical theory perspective and a participatory paradigm. Instruments used to gather data included observations, interviews, field notes, video recordings of lesson presentations and logs of meetings. The research findings revealed that most technology teachers in this study were neither trained nor qualified to facilitate technology or to teach it with confidence. An AR intervention was introduced, which changed the teachers’ situation by generating an instrument. The instrument generated in this study is only a framework, which could contribute towards emancipating incapacitated technology teachers. Even though this framework is applicable to TE, it could hopefully be adopted and adapted for use in other subjects as a way to enhance teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogy.

Assessing Educators’ Views on the Implementation of Technology Education in Selected Schools

Technology education is an important factor in every learner’s education. It contributes to the intellectual and practical development of the learners to enable them to cope with the challenges of a technological society. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this study sought to investigate the extent to which the learning and teaching of technology was implemented in schools in the Mthatha Education District in South Africa. A case study design was followed. A purposive sample of 20 senior phase educators was used in the study. A semi- structured questionnaire was employed to collect data. Quantitative data were analysed manually and qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The results obtained revealed that the implementation of the technology learning area faced a number of challenges such as lack of resources especially the rural schools, lack of people who are knowledgeable on Outcomes-based education (OBE) or the OBE modes of learning and teaching technology and its assessment methods, ineffectiveness arising out of large and overcrowded classes, challenges originating from or as a consequence of redeployment and the rationalization of educators and the lack of human resource to assist in the implementation of technology. The study showed the need for the improved provision of supportive service from relevant subject advisors and their continuous contact with educators in order to offer advice and assistance in order to improve the quality of technology teaching and learning in schools. The professional knowledge and skills of subject advisors as well as educators need to be extended, refreshed and updated. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p463

Teaching practice trends regarding the teaching of the design process within a South African context: a situation analysis

In this article an analysis is made of the responses of 95 technology education teachers, 14 technology education lecturers and 25 design practitioners to questionnaires regarding the teaching and the application of the design process. The main purpose of the questionnaires is to determine whether there are any trends regarding the strategies and methods that are used to teach and apply the design process. From the curriculum documents for public schools in South Africa it is clear that the design process is considered to be an important aspect in a wide variety of subjects. In particular design is considered to be the backbone learning outcome of the Technology Learning Area. This prominence given to the design process in the South African school curriculum prompted this research project. A questionnaire was structured to accommodate individual teachers and lecturers who are teaching the design process according to the Technology section of the national curriculum statement of the South African Department of Basic Education. A separate questionnaire was structured to accommodate individual design practitioners. Regarding teaching the design process, teachers tend to closely follow the prescriptions of the school curriculum, lecturers tend to allow room for different interpretations and design practitioners tend to accommodate a range of approaches when applying the design process. Although the results revealed by the questionnaires are a reflection of the teaching practices of a limited group in a particular setting some knowledge transfer to similar situations should be possible.

A process-based assessment framework for technology education: a case study

Over the past few years, educators in South Africa have been subjected to many changes in the educational sphere. Not only was a new approach to education, namely outcomes-based education (OBE) implemented, but the curriculum was also changed and now consists of eight learning areas, some of which are groupings of traditional school subjects (e.g. languages). Technology, however, is a new and for most educators unfamiliar learning area. The implementation in 1998 of the technology learning area in South African schools had educators reeling as they were unprepared and untrained to facilitate this new learning area. There was also limited information available for the assessment of learners in technology. Learners’ competence in technology education should be assessed in a meaningful and responsible manner, which requires more than just the evaluation of the end product. The purpose of this research was to develop a process-based assessment framework to support the technology teacher with assessment activities, which incorporate the technological process and provide opportunities for the assessment of aspects of the thinking sub-processes as part of the technological process. Qualitative action research was undertaken. Three Grade 7 learners and a teacher at a parallel medium primary school (school where two official languages are used congruently as medium of instruction) were involved in the case study. Resource, case study and a capability task were done by the three learners. For the purpose of the research project, information obtained from the capability task was used. This research focused on the initial idea generation stage (stage five) of the technological process, as well as creative and critical thinking (as thinking sub-processes) processes. Observation and semi-structured interviews were used as data-collection methods. The validity and reliability of the research were ensured by means of triangulation. Three main categories (findings) were named as aspects which could be employed when compiling a process-based assessment framework, namely outcomes, content and assessment methodology. Further subcategories were identified within each of these main categories. The framework will serve as a roadmap to technology teachers, especially those with little or no pedagogical knowledge in technology to assist them to base their assessment on sound methodology.

Teachers learning about technology and technology education: Insights from a professional development experience

The introduction of technology education in primary and secondary schools during the past 10–15 years around the world has presented a number of difficulties for teachers, primarily related to their coming to understand the phenomenon of technology and to conceptualise the technology learning area in line with national frameworks. This paper reports on a professional development experience that aimed to assist a small group of primary school teachers to develop their understandings of technology and technology education. A theoretical model framed a series of professional development interactions between the researchers and the experienced teachers who were new to teaching technology. Data sources included teacher interviews, video recordings of the activities, teacher made models, and extracts from their reflective journals. The study presented some insights into how professional development experiences for teachers new to technology could be organised and implemented to best support their developing technology practices and understandings.

The relevance of indigenous technology in Curriculum 2005 / RNCS with special reference to the Technology Learning Area

In this article it is argued that indigenous technology with its long history cannot be ignored and should be as signed a more prominent place in the Technology Learning Area (TLA) within Curriculum 2005/RNCS Grades R – 9.2 The argument is based on the findings of a study in which the relevance of indigenous technology in the TLA curriculum was investigated. The findings not only pointed to the long history of indigenous technology, but also evidenced the continued use of such technology among indigenous people, especially in the rural contexts. The findings in the study are suggestive of an enhanced recognition of indigenous technology in the TLA curriculum. Therefore, informed by the findings, the authors pose certain recommendations pertaining to the TLA curriculum.The article has as secondary purpose creation of awareness of, and sensitivity for, the cultural heritage of indigenous people in South Africa and context-specific community needs which can be recognised and addressed in learning areas such as the TLA. South African Journal of Education Vol. 26 (4) 2006: pp. 501-513

Authentic Program Planning in Technology Education

This paper reports on the needs identified by three teachers during an investigation into their first experiences of implementing technology in their primary classrooms. One part of one teacher's case is presented in detail to illustrate that the meanings the teachers made of their experiences were related very closely to their beliefs about teaching and learning, to their understanding of technology as a phenomenon and to the place they saw technology having within the whole curriculum. One particular outcome of the investigation was that the teachers experienced a lack of knowledge of the scope and breadth of the technology learning area, and as a consequence, faced challenges in planning for the successful implementation of activities. In response to this particular need and to the many issues emanating from current research literature in technology education, the paper then presents two models for conceptualizing and planning units of work in technology in primary classrooms. The models form frameworks that may be useful to help structure thinking for authentic classroom planning and sequencing of lessons or learning experiences.

Rural schools and educational technology: A case study of rural schools in the Molopo district, Mafikeng

This article examines the position and conditions of rural schools around Mafikeng (North-West Province, South Africa) with relation to the Technology Learning Area – a core component of Curriculum 2005. Technology Education (TE) has been undergirded by the launching of the Science and Technology Campaign by the national Ministry of Education at the introductory phase of Curriculum 2005. Given the well-known limitations on the capacity of rural schools to engage meaningfully and productively with both technological and science education, this pilot study investigates the pre-planning and strategising by relevant stakeholders. The article also focuses on the career aspirations of learners, and career guidance and expectations on the part of the teaching staff and parents, with reference to the acquisition of competencies in the Technology Learning Area by learners. Financial contributions by rural communities to school funds and security provisions for these schools which, it is envisaged, will house instructional materials for TE, are confronted and analysed.