Historical Problems in Industrial Arts and Technology Education.

Overview & Synopsis

The history of industrial arts (IA) and technology education (TE) was examined to identify those points in the history of industrial education in the United States that have been interpreted in multiple ways or that are contradicted by other historical information. The evolution of IA was traced from the time period leading up to the 1920s, with special emphasis on the move toward TE in the late 1970s, IA and TE in 1982-84, and their current state. The contributions of key historical figures to the development of IA and TE were examined along with the following: the original conception of IA and debates over whether IA should be conceived/delivered as a type of general education or vocational education; organization of IA at various grade levels; the Industrial Arts Curriculum Project; the Science-Technology-Society movement and attempts at integrating math, science, and technology in TE; implications of the current emphasis on such integration for teacher training; enrollment trends in IA in a historical perspective; and proposals to remedy enrollment problems, including teacher recruitment and improvement of teacher education. (Contains 212 references.) (MN)