ERIC EJ538752: Essential Components of Doctoral Programs for Industrial Technology Education.

7 Pages·1996·0.1 MB·English

by  ERIC

Essential Components of Doctoral Programs for Industrial
Technology Education
Doctoral programs in industrial technology ing future needs and practices. Consensus
education (ITE) in the United States have re- building among knowledgeable participants
ceived considerable attention and discussion is the primary activity of this technique. We
in the literature during the past five decades. utilized the following steps:
Research efforts by Buffer (1979), Kovac (1985), 1. Develop questions regarding ITE doctoral
Miller (1984), Tan (1985), and Wolansky and programs.
Miller (1981) have contributed insights re- 2. Select panel.
garding the developments and changes taking 3. Develop round-one instrument.
William D. Paige
place in doctoral programs over time. Others 4. Analyze round-one responses.
such as Beach (1991) are proposing possible 5. Develop round-two instrument.
new directions for doctoral programs. 6. Analyze round-two responses.
Members of any discipline must have well- 7. Develop round-three instrument.
defined structures or taxonomies to use as a 8. Analyze round-three responses.
guide when developing new knowledge or 9. Draft final report.
examining current practices. The develop- In order to assure appropriate representa-
ment or establishment of this structure re- tion, we identified the following categories of
quires the knowledge and skills gained in a participants:
doctoral program. Therefore, in order for mem- 1. Faculty from ITE doctoral-granting institutions.
bers of the discipline to continue to advance it, 2. Male, female, and minority faculty and ITE
doctoral programs in ITE must provide strong, doctoral program graduates.
effective leadership. 3. Personnel from industry with ITE doctorates.
Currently, leadership within the field of 4. Experienced and recent (since 1986) ITE John C. Dugger
industrial technology education is being pro- doctoral graduates.
vided, for the most part, by people who have 5. Administrators of ITE programs.
doctoral degrees. For example, the member- To ensure representation from each of these
ship of the committees within the Interna- categories, recommendations of potential par-
tional Technology Education Association is ticipants were solicited from personnel at the
composed predominately of persons holding doctoral-granting institutions listed in the 1990-
doctoral degrees. Moreover, 75% of the com- 91 National Association of Industrial and Tech-
mittee chairs within this organization have nical Teacher Educators (NAITTE) Directory
doctorates. It follows then that the doctoral (Dennis, 1991). The researchers then created
programs preparing future leaders in the pro- a prioritized list of potential participants based
fession must provide the coursework and ex- on the names provided. After contacting each
periences that will achieve the desired results. potential participant, 16 were selected as re-
To accomplish this end it is necessary for these spondents for this study. The criteria for selec-
William D. Wolansky
programs to be based on consistent, well- tion were interest in the topic, availability, and
defined mission statements and appropriate representation of the appropriate groups. Dr. Paige is a Professor in the
goals. Presently, each department offering a Figure 1 identifies the major tasks addressed Department of Technology and
Human Resources Development at
doctoral program creates its own mission state- during each of the Delphi rounds.
Clemson University, South
ment, goals, and requirements. As a result,
Carolina. He is a member of the
programs vary significantly. RESULTS Alpha Xi Chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau.
The intent of our research was to identify Each of the round-one responses was con- Dr. Dugger is an Associate Professor
the essential components of future doctoral solidated, classified, and placed in the appro- and Chair of the Department of
Industrial Education and Tech-
programs in industrial technology education priate category. The resulting items developed
nology at Iowa State University. He
in the United States. The following two objec- by this process were used to form the instru-
is a member of Alpha Xi Chapter of
tives were addressed in this study: (a) to iden- ment for the subsequent rounds. The mission Epsilon Pi Tau. Before his death,
tify and classify the major components of component categories were teaching, research, Dr. Wolansky made a significant
doctoral programs and (b) to identify content and service. The course categories were gen- contribution to the organization of
the study, provided much input to
areas that could be used to form these major eral education courses, courses within a ma-
the interpretation of the results, and
components. jor, research skill courses, and cognate or
collaborated in writing the original
minor courses. draft. He was a member of the
METHODOLOGY Alpha Xi Chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau
We used a modified Delphi technique to Mission Components and was a Distinguished Service
Award Recipient and leaves an
address these objectives. This technique has Once the primary mission components were
enviable record as a leader in
proven to be a successful method of address- identified by the Delphi panel, the perception
education for the professions in
technology.
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semination of research results as they relate to
ROUND TASKS classroom practices and (b) providing oppor-
1 a)Identify the teaching, research, and tunities to review and summarize research on
service components of a doctoral program's teaching.
mission statement.
It appears that the teaching components of
b)Identify specific courses that are represen-
the mission were rated somewhat lower than
tative of doctoral program requirements.
c)Identify desired behaviors that result from the research and service components. Per-
the completion of a doctoral program. haps this perception may be due, in part, to
the expectation that teaching skills are the
2 a)Rate on a Likert-type scale each of the
primary focus of the bachelor’s or master’s
desired mission statement components in
degree programs rather than the doctoral
teaching, research, and service.
b)Rate the importance of the content areas programs.
for an ideal doctoral program.
c)Rate the desired behaviors of graduates. Course Content for Doctoral Programs
A similar approach was used regarding
3 a)Categorize each of the mission compo-
course content. During round two, impor-
nents as either "essential/necessary,"
"useful/beneficial," or "marginally useful." tance ratings for each of the course content
b)Categorize each of the content areas as areas were gathered from the respondents and
either "essential/necessary," "useful/benefi- then analyzed. During round three, the re-
cial," or "marginally useful."
spondents were asked to classify the course
c)Categorize each of the desired behaviors as
content areas under one of the three categories
either "essential/necessary," "useful/benefi-
cial," or "marginally useful." mentioned previously (see Table 2). Course
content related to research was perceived as
most important. Several content areas were
Figure 1. Delphi rounds and associated tasks. rated as “marginally useful.” These included
business management, technical courses, and
a foreign language. Experiences in these areas
of each member of the panel regarding the were not perceived as particularly valuable in
importance of each of the components was doctoral programs.
solicited. The results of the analysis of these Although receiving relatively low ratings,
data can be found under importance ratings program assessment and evaluation, curricu-
on the right-hand side of Table 1. Research lum development, and history and philosophy
components were identified as the most im- were perceived as essential by the respon-
portant among those factors rated by members dents during the third-round classification pro-
of the panel. Components dealing with teach- cess. The converse was true regarding the
ing, advising, and program evaluation were analysis and synthesis of technology systems,
perceived as being least important. Of lesser proposal writing, and future applications of
importance than research was the positive technology. These three items were rated rela-
professional attitude component. tively high, yet they were not perceived as
During round three, the members of the essential.
panel were asked to classify each item under The descriptors used for the course content
“essential/necessary,” “useful/beneficial,” or areas included courses within the major, re-
“marginally useful.” The responses to several search courses, and general education courses.
of the items provided in round three some- It is interesting to note that no items under
times conflicted with the original mean ratings general education content were perceived as
calculated during round two. One of the most being essential or necessary for the doctoral
interesting conflicts was the first item under program. The research courses were perceived
the “useful/beneficial” category in Table 1, as being much more important than other
which stated that the mission should “provide courses. It appears that the essential elements
opportunities for students to interact with lead- of the coursework for doctoral programs should
ers at local, state, and national levels.” The center around research design, statistics, and
mean rating for this item in round two was content within the major. This conclusion is
6.00. However, when asked to classify this reinforced by the respondents indicating a
item as either “essential/necessary,” “useful/ need for another area of course concentration
beneficial,” or “marginally useful,” the mem- outside the major in the form of a cognate or
bers of the panel felt that this item was not a minor.
essential to a doctoral program. In addition, Cognate or minor course content areas that
two items that had relatively low means but were considered “essential/necessary” by the
still were perceived by the panel as being respondents for doctoral programs in ITE were
essential to the program included (a) the dis- statistics and research design. Other areas
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Table 1
Mission Components Related to Teaching, Research, and Service For Doctoral Programs
Perceived Importance Ratings
Value Item Mean SD
Essential/
Necessary
** Develop a range of appropriate research skills. 6.67 0.62
** Produce a quality dissertation and disseminate results. 6.67 0.62
*** Develop a positive professional attitude and desire to contribute to the 6.50 0.65
future direction of the profession.
*** Promote active participation in professional associations, societies, 6.08 0.87
conferences, committees, and other activities.
** Enable students to become knowledgeable and critical consumers of 6.00 1.00
research.
* Develop leadership skills for use in educational and industrial settings. 5.91 1.04
* Provide opportunities for improving teaching through research and 5.83 1.21
experimentation.
* Provide opportunities to design and devise instructional methodologies 5.83 1.28
for teaching complex technological systems.
* Disseminate research results as they relate to classroom practices. 5.50 1.04
* Provide opportunities to review and summarize research on teaching. 5.36 1.03
*** Provide opportunities for students to interact with leaders at local, 6.00 1.00
state, and national levels.
** Prepare and present scholarly research papers. 5.83 0.80
** Develop scholarly manuscripts for refereed journals. 5.75 0.92
** Provide opportunities for enhancing effective communication skills. 5.58 1.04
* Provide opportunities for acquiring a global perspective through 5.58 1.04
familiarization with cultural implications and their impact on education.
** Author or coauthor grant proposals. 5.27 1.29
* Provide opportunities for critical analysis in the evaluation of teaching 5.25 1.69
effectiveness.
*** Provide opportunities to serve as student members on departmental 5.00 0.71
committees to acquire insight into university committee service.
* Provide opportunities for directing and managing program evaluation. 4.83 1.28
* Enhance pedagogical skills (teaching, advising, counseling). 4.81 1.70
* Teaching
** Research
*** Service
considered as “useful/beneficial” were tech- programs would enable the student to show
nology and social change, management/ad- evidence that he or she can (a) demonstrate
ministration, curriculum/instruction, and problem-solving skills, (b) utilize quantitative
evaluation. research methods, (c) contribute to the body of
knowledge of ITE, (d) employ a thorough
Research Component literature review, and (e) utilize clear and
The research component categories in- concise communication.
cluded those activities designed to help the As indicated in Table 3, the “useful/benefi-
doctoral student conceptualize, plan, imple- cial” requirements for a dissertation and/or
ment, and report a research study. Although other scholarly activity might include, among
these activities may or may not be a part of others, a qualitative research component and
formal coursework, they may be addressed by multiple publications in refereed journals.
the major professor during the credits/hours
for research that are a normal part of all Desired Behaviors for Program Completers
doctoral programs. The product of this re- Behaviors that are essential for graduates to
search component should be a dissertation exhibit prior to completing a doctoral program
produced by the student utilizing proper re- in ITE are identified in Table 4. Foremost
search techniques with a sufficient degree of among those essential behaviors is the ability
effort to be classified as a quality contribution to think critically and reflectively. A philo-
to existing knowledge. sophical foundation was considered the be-
The results of a research effort that culmi- havior least important of the essential items
nates in a quality dissertation in ITE doctoral that should be exhibited by a graduate.
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Table 2
Course Content Areas for Doctoral Programs
Perceived Importance Ratings
Value Item Mean SD
Essential/
Necessary
** Research design 6.58 0.64
** Statistics 6.50 0.65
** Professional writing 6.08 1.04
* Problems and issues 5.83 0.99
* Program assessment and evaluation 5.58 1.12
* Curriculum development 5.42 1.16
* History and philosophy 5.00 1.53
Useful/
Beneficial
* Analysis and synthesis of technology systems 5.83 1.07
** Proposal writing 5.75 1.23
* Future implications of technology 5.45 0.99
*** Evaluation 5.42 0.76
*** International studies 5.33 1.31
*** Curriculum 5.17 0.99
** Technology assessment 5.16 1.68
*** History of technology 5.08 1.61
** Invention and innovation 4.91 1.04
*** Instructional technology 4.58 1.61
*** Psychology 4.58 1.38
*** Teaching methods 4.50 1.26
* Administration and supervision of ITE programs 4.42 1.19
*** Sociology 4.33 1.18
Marginally
Useful
*** Business management 4.75 1.74
* Technical courses 3.64 1.43
*** Foreign language 3.00 1.85
* Doctoral program course content within the major
** Doctoral program research content within the major
*** Doctoral program general education content
Table 3
Research Component Categories for Doctoral Programs
Perceived Importance Ratings
Value Item Mean SD
Essential/
Necessary
Problem-solving skills (research methods) 6.50 0.65
Quantitative research 6.33 0.75
Contribute to body of knowledge of ITE 6.08 0.96
Learn from existing research 6.00 0.82
Clear, concise communication abilities should be a 6.00 1.21
prerequisite to program
Useful/
Beneficial
Qualitative research 5.50 1.32
Field research 5.42 1.11
Interdisciplinary research 5.25 0.83
Research and development yielding a product 4.92 1.55
Multiple publications in refereed journals 4.08 1.55
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Table 4
Desired Behaviors for Graduates of Doctoral Programs
Perceived Importance Ratings
Value Item Mean SD
Essential/
Necessary
Ability to think critically and reflectively 6.58 0.64
Develop a professional attitude 6.58 0.64
Enthusiasm for one's chosen career 6.58 0.76
Formulate vision of future of ITE 6.50 0.65
Ability to conduct research 6.50 0.76
Scholarly and technical presentation abilities 6.50 0.76
Understand research methodology 6.42 0.76
Scholarly and technical writing ability 6.33 1.03
Apply research findings to ITE field 6.25 0.92
Analyze research 6.25 1.23
Synthesize research 6.17 1.21
Evaluate research 6.17 1.46
Become knowledgeable in various forms of 6.08 1.44
educational research
Contribute to further development of ITE 6.00 0.91
Interdisciplinary perspective of ITE 5.92 0.95
Philosophical foundation 5.25 1.36
Useful/
Beneficial
Combine theory with practice 6.08 1.11
Technological impacts on society 5.76 0.92
Broad cultural and international perspective 5.58 1.04
Understand emerging technologies 5.50 0.76
Skills in curriculum development and articulation 5.50 1.04
Management and leadership ability 5.42 1.26
Understanding of historical basis for ITE 4.83 1.77
Behaviors identified in the last portion of be the largest coherent discipline needing
Table 4 are those that were perceived as being attention. There is a critical need for identifica-
“useful/beneficial” but not “essential” to qual- tion and clarification of the essential compo-
ity doctoral programs. Combining theory with nents of doctoral programs in ITE and related
practice was perceived as being “useful”; how- disciplines. A study such as this establishes a
ever, when we examined the rating, it was focus and appropriate parameters. Related
higher than some of the “essential” items disciplines such as vocational education or
listed. An understanding of a historical basis occupational education can also benefit from
for the field of ITE was perceived as being the this work. With the exception of specific con-
least important within the “useful/beneficial” tent areas, the remaining components of these
category. We can speculate that the respon- doctoral programs appear to be similar.
dents believe that the historical basis for ITE We recognize that universities exercise
and perhaps other items under the “useful/ considerable influence in maintaining quality
beneficial” category may already have been graduate programs and that doctoral programs
adequately addressed during the master’s and in particular are subject to critical institutional
bachelor’s programs. review. The majority of these programs are
subject to internal, rather than external, re-
RECOMMENDATIONS view. This research was conducted to achieve
This research can serve two purposes. First, consensus regarding doctoral program mis-
it can serve as a benchmark for local adminis- sions and principal components. The intent
trators of doctoral programs in ITE for analyz- was not to create uniform programs but to
ing and improving their programs at the insti- determine how doctoral programs may be
tutional level. Second, it can serve as a basic redirected to meet the contemporary needs of
document that can be useful for longitudinal both students and the profession.
comparative research. When reviewing existing doctoral programs,
Industrial technology education was the administrators may want to examine Table 1
focus of this research because it appeared to in this document to help identify critical com-
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ponents for their missions. The primary com- inconsistencies in mission statements and de-
ponent must be research; however, secondary sired outcomes. For example, when rating
components may be identified from this list. components dealing with interacting with lead-
Decisions regarding which components to ers at local, state, and national levels and
include in a mission statement must be consis- preparing and presenting scholarly research,
tent with university formats and guidelines. the results (means) were fairly high. However,
Clearly, the principal component of the doc- when classified, these items ended in the
toral program mission must be research; how- “useful/beneficial” category rather than the
ever, an additional component that must be “essential/necessary” category. In addition,
included is that of developing professional related to course content areas, an analysis
attitudes regarding our profession. and synthesis of technological systems and
Doctoral program administrators also may proposal writings were rated highly during
want to examine Table 2 to identify course round two, whereas during round three they
content areas for the formalized coursework were categorized at a lower level than “essen-
that constitutes the doctoral program. The tial/necessary.” One consistent factor among
most important course content areas, again, responses was a focus on developing a profes-
appear to be those related to research design sional attitude and contributing to the body of
and statistics. Secondary, but necessary, com- knowledge related to ITE. These appear to be
ponents are those that relate directly to ITE. items that may not have been addressed ad-
The research component, in addition to the equately by existing doctoral programs.
formalized coursework, must lead to a quality Leadership within the field of ITE was rated
dissertation that both exhibits qualitative and low in desired outcomes. However, this may
quantitative skills and contributes to the body be one of the greatest needs in our field at this
of knowledge in ITE. A thorough review of the time. Those currently in leadership roles are
literature and this study reveals that both oral most certainly providing the direction for ITE
and written communication skills are also now and in the future. It is essential that
extremely important in addressing the need to doctoral programs provide prospective lead-
produce and report quality research. ers with the experiences that help develop
Those desired behaviors for graduate doc- these necessary leadership abilities, assuring a
toral programs listed in Table 4 would be bright future for ITE.
useful when creating instrumentation to mea- If members of ITE are to continue to de-
sure the effectiveness of particular doctoral velop this discipline and address the chal-
programs. These items could be incorporated lenges of the future, doctoral-granting institu-
into measurement instruments, or they could tions must provide the leadership. This leader-
direct the creation of other evaluation devices ship must come in the form of providing
that determine the degree to which these programs that have a research focus directed
behaviors are addressed by a particular doc- toward contributing to the body of knowledge
toral program. and that are aimed at developing and provid-
In summary, it appears clear that at this ing future leaders with the background and
stage in the development of ITE programs, experiences that are needed to move the pro-
even leaders in the field are still grappling with fession forward into the 21st century.
References
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Dennis, E. (Ed.). (1991). Industrial teacher education directory (29th ed.). Cedar Falls, IA:
National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators and Council on
Technology Teacher Education.
Kovac, R. J. (1985). A nationwide doctoral student follow-up in industrial arts education. Journal
of Industrial Teacher Education, 2(4), 23–27.
Miller, P. W. (1984). Developing graduate research competencies in industrial education.
Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 21(2), 54–67.
Tan, D. L. (1985). Development of a qualitative index for doctoral programs. Unpublished
dissertation, The University of Arizona, Tucson.
Wolansky, W. D., & Miller, W. G. (1981). Doctoral programs in industrial education—A
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53–59.
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