Graduate Research in Technology and Engineering Education: 2000-2009

Overview & Synopsis

The purpose of this study was to amass as comprehensive a collection of dissertations and theses in technology and engineering education as possible, and to conduct a modified meta-analysis of this body of research. The current study was limited to dissertations and theses completed between 2000 and 2009 that were identified using the ProQuest search engine. The total number of studies found that were clearly in the field (i.e., industrial technology education, technology education, and technology and engineering education) was 74. The titles and abstracts, and in some cases the full report, were reviewed to determine the university offering the degree, date completed, the research method employed, the keywords and subject descriptors, and the topic/focus of each study. This study was basically a replication of Foster's (1992) early study. The data indicated that the majority of the studies completed in technology and engineering education from 2000 to 2009 were focused on K-12 education (59%). The greatest percentage of those studies was completed using the survey methods (31.1%). A total of 28% of the studies could be categorized as status studies. (Contains 8 tables.)