Curriculum Consonance and Dissonance in Technology Education Classrooms

Overview & Synopsis

In a time of increased accountability, a tightened curriculum, and fewer curricular choices for students, technology education in the United States is in the position of defending itself by "carving a niche" in the school curriculum. Justifying the place of technology education is becoming increasingly difficult, as there has been little agreement in either policy or practice over the definition and function of technology education. The problem addressed in this study is determining whether the new "official" definition and purpose for technology education has had any effect on technology education classrooms. The concern, and the focus of this study, is that technology education as defined by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) might not be what is currently taught by teachers and experienced by students. The purpose of this study was to determine if inconsistencies exist between the field's view of technology education and the events that take place in the technology education classrooms by examining the relationships among the field's teachers' and students' ideas regarding the nature and outcomes of technology education. This was designed to help bridge a gap in technology education research. (Contains 1 table.)