Graphic communications instruction for industrial arts teacher education and industrial technology degree programs

Abstract

<p>The problem of this study was to investigate the scope, nature, and structure of the graphic communications technical curricula of industrial arts teacher education and industrial technology degree programs within industrial education departments offering graphic communications instruction;A questionnaire/check sheet was mailed to 262 institutions offering industrial education programs. The instrument was designed to obtain data concerning graphic communications instruction from respondents, and more specifically; instructional data, information about the instructor, the degree of instructional emphasis that would be placed on a list of behavioral objectives for industrial arts teacher education and for industrial technology, and the level of attainment that could be achieved on the objectives. Of the 180 instruments returned, 106 institutions indicated they offered graphic communications instruction. Sixty-three institutions offered instruction to both industrial arts teacher education and industrial technology degree programs;Analysis of data indicated: (1) There were significant differences in the number of graphic communications required and elective credits available for various program options in industrial arts teacher education and industrial technology; (2) There were significant differences in the degree of instructional emphasis the respondents would place on a set of behavioral objectives for various program options; (3) Departments which separate students from the two programs in all or some of the graphic communications courses reported a significantly greater proportion of differences in their ratings of instructional emphasis on the behavioral objectives than did departments that combined students from both programs in the same graphic communications courses; (4) Any differences in respondent backgrounds for programs that separated and those that combined instruction were dependent upon the particular characteristic in question;The results indicated that differences existed in several areas of graphic communications instruction between industrial arts teacher education and industrial technology programs. Recommendations based on the results were also presented.</p>