Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1996

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Resource Development

Major Professor

Carroll B. Coakley

Committee Members

Bill Radcliff, George Harris, John Peters

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of Tennessee teachers involved in Business Education and Office Technology programs in an attempt to determine whether or not they agreed with standards for information systems. Competencies determined to be the essential components for each standard were the 91 items addressed in the survey. The instrument used for collecting data was constructed fi-om the national standards for information systems developed under the direction of the National Business Education Association (NBEA).

The population for the study consisted of secondary teachers of Office Technology and various Business Education courses who participated at one of two conferences surveyed. The sampling procedure utilized was non-random, purposive.

The descriptive study of teacher perceptions about information systems standards is a pre-experimental design. The data were analyzed as frequency count and percentages to determine agreement with the tasks which comprised each standard as to whether or not (a) tasks were taught, and/or (b) considered entry level. The chi-square test for independent samples was used to compare the competencies, for which agreement was indicated. The independent variables used in the study were: (a) the area of instruction taught, (b) type of related work experience one had, (c) time that had elapsed since the related experience occurred, (d) the professional degree attained, (e) contact with business/industry, and (f) placement of one's students in employment situations. The level of significance for chi-square was set at .05.

Based on the findings of the study, major conclusions were:

  • The percentage of teachers who considered the competencies to be entry level greatly exceeded the percentage of respondents who indicated that they taught them. Consequently, there exists barriers which prevent the teaching of these skills that teachers know are essential for the workplace.
  • With regard to the area of instruction. Business Education teachers exhibited a greater propensity to teach and consider entry level the competencies, in which there was a significant difference, than did the Office Technology teachers.
  • Concerning the type of related work experience, teachers with part-time experience were more prone to teach the tasks. However, the teachers with a background of full-time experience exhibited a greater inclination to consider the skills entry level.
  • Respondents who had not been employed in the business world for over 20 years taught the competencies by a substantially lesser percentage rate than the teachers with a more recent employment history.
  • The professional degree one had attained was relevant only for teaching ethics. Degree was not a factor in whether or not competencies were considered entry level.
  • Contact with the business community made a significant difference in the response given, both for the tasks that are taught and those considered necessary for entry level.
  • Active placement of students in employment situations was determined to be a significant factor in the competencies that are taught. A similar finding was made for whether or not the tasks were considered to be entry level.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS