Problems as perceived by high school and middle school technology education teachers in Indiana

There was a void of information pertaining to the severity of problems in the field of technology education (TE) at the high school and middle school level in Indiana. It was unknown whether the teacher and school demographic variables affected the perception of these problems. Wicklein (1993) identified a list of 15 problems that may impact the TE profession in the future. It was unknown if these items would be rated as problems by high school and middle school TE teachers in Indiana, and what teachers may give for their perceptions. Further, would teachers identify other problems affecting the field of TE that were not identified in the Wicklein study. The purpose of this study was to identify the severity of TE problems as perceived by high school and middle school TE teachers in the state of Indiana and to determine if the perceived severity of these problems was related to teacher and school demographic variables. This study investigated whether the 15 problems reported by Wicklein were identified as problems and what the most frequent overall explanations were for why they were problems. Based on the data from this study, the impact of high school graduation requirements on TE courses was identified as the most severe problem. The general populace\u27s understanding of technology and discipline of TE was rated as the second most severe problem followed by funding of TE programs . This study identified the severity of other problems related to TE as perceived by high school and middle school TE teachers in the state of Indiana and determined that the rated severity of these problems varied among demographic groups. The most frequent overall explanations for why these items were problems were reported along with other new problems affecting the field of technology education. Possible reasons for the results were discussed and substantiated through prior literature. Conclusions, implications, and recommendations based on the results were also discussed. The results suggested a myriad of opportunities for further investigation