Perceived competencies of vocational home economics teachers in Tennessee secondary schools

The purpose of this study was to determine how vocational home economics teachers in Tennessee perceive their ability to teach the concepts outlined by subject matter areas in the Home Economics Curriculum Framework: Scope and Sequence provided by the state of Tennessee to secondary schools. Perceived competency was measured by an instrument developed by the researcher and composed of concepts taken from the Curriculum Framework.

The population for the study consisted of 607 public secondary vocational home economics teachers in Tennessee. One hundred and sixty-two teachers participated in the study.

The data were analyzed using the analysis of variance test to determine whether there was a significant difference between perceived competency of subject matter areas and the independent variables of years of teaching experience, highest degree, grade level taught, and weeks taught in each area. If a significant difference existed the Least Square Difference method of multiple comparison between means was used to determine significant differences between groups.

Findings of the study indicated that as a group the teachers rated themselves adequate or above on every concept. Individually, some teachers rated themselves as Very Poor in some areas. The highest percentage of Very Poor responses being found in the Consumer Education and Resource Management area. The highest percentage of Very Good responses was in the Nutrition and Food area. Demographic factors such as advanced degree and number of weeks taught in each area affected perceived competence in some areas.

Based on these findings concepts ranked as adequate or below should receive increased emphasis at both the preservice and inservice levels of teacher training. In addition, teachers should learn to use self-evaluation techniques as a source of formative evaluation. Each college and university in Tennessee which offers a teacher education program in vocational home economics should conduct a study to determine strengths and inadequacies related to the Curriculum Framework.