An identification of teaching competencies for teacher-coordinators of cooperative office education

The problem in this study was to identify teaching competencies of teacher-coordinators of cooperative office education and the importance of the competencies as perceived by teacher-coordinators of cooperative office education according to their backgrounds of experience and tenure.

The tentative competency statements were derived from 'Model Curricula for Vocational and Technical Education: Report No. IV," and a literature review. A panel of authors, teacher educators, and a coordinator of cooperative vocational education was used in two probes to establish the final list of l00 competencies. The final instrument was mailed to the ll0 teacher-coordinators of cooperative office education in the State of Louisiana. Perceptions ("Strongly Agree," "Agree," "Disagree," "Strongly Disagree," and "No Opinion') of the teacher-coordinators on the competency statements were received from 8l, or 74 percent, of the original mailing.

Respondents were grouped according to four background factors: secondary classroom experience, COE experience, business/industry experience, and tenured/nontenured status. Respondent groups were further classified as: secondary, 2-10 years, 11-20 years, and 21 plus years; COE, 1-3 years, 4-10 years, and 11 plus years; and business/ industry, 0 years, 1-3 years, and 4 plus years.

Hypotheses were tested on each of the l00 competency statements for each background factor using the Chi-Square statistic at the .05 level of significance. Another analysis technique used was the Consensus approach.

The following conclusions were drawn:

1. Based on secondary experience, COE teachers substantially agree on competencies needed. On the item of importance of structuring content for the COE course, the support seems to diminish with experience.

2. Based on COE experience, COE teachers substantially agree on competencies needed. On the item of interviewing students for interest and aptitude information, teachers do differ in their intensity of agreement.

3. Based on business/industry experience, COE teachers substantially agree on competencies needed. Statements on use of educational media, state and national vocational organizations, and use of advisory committees showed different views by the number of years of experience in business and industry.

4. Based on tenured/nontenured status, COE teachers substantially agree on competencies needed.

5. Because of the nature of the statements which produced less than 80 percent consensus (They dealt with student organizations, civil rights, or other areas that have federal legislation dictating their inclusion into activities of the cooperative office education program.), either the teachers do not know about the legislation or they know about the legislation but are not sure as to how they can get the cooperation of business and industry in complying with the law.