Technological literacy and reflection in the classroom

In this article we take a theoretical model that describes technological literacy as being enacted by individuals in the course of shaping their lives and the world around them and explore how it is possible to develop meaningful and effective educational classroom activities that intertwine capabilities with technological processes in authentic situations. Technological literacy involves the enactment and shaping of the technological process in such a way that enactment successively recognises the original need as well as a shared purpose and potential consequences – an action that we argue to be reflective, or mindful, in nature. We suggest that two elements of knowledge can be identified as goals for technology education. Firstly, a basic understanding of technological processes, a capability to orient in the landscape of relevant knowledge, and the knowledge contexts of what the process is about. Secondly, reflection on process development, (shared) purpose, underlying needs, necessary competence, consequences, and personal engagement intertwined with enactment. Here the notion of reflection-in-action as the manifestation of a mindful relationship between experience and enactment can be seen as driving the technological process. We argue that the ultimate and proximate purposes of teaching are useful constructs for discussing the constitution of continuity between objectives in classroom activities. An analysis of data from a Swedish technology education classroom is used to illustrate the argument developed. The article concludes by suggesting that focus must be centred on what activities are meaningful – and as far as possible authentic – for pupils as aims for learning

Phenomenography: from critical aspects to knowledge claim

In this description of phenomenography, we take a functional view of the theoretical underpinnings that have traditionally been used to support its trustworthiness as a qualitative research approach. The chapter has two objectives, first to serve as an introduction for those considering embarking on research with a phenomenographic framing, and second to enable the recognition of the quality and scope of the knowledge claim inherent in phenomenographic outcomes

Considering two audiences when recording lectures as lecturecasts

This article presents the outcome of an investigation into the provision of lecturecasts to students. The objective was to ensure that both those who attended live lectures of a second-year engineering course and/or watched recorded versions of the lectures had an experience that supported their learning. A range of data was drawn on including the personal reflection of the lecturer of the course, questionnaires, and student interviews. The qualitative data were analysed through an inductive process that drew on the principles of grounded theory and the findings that emerged included the role of the ‘talking head’ in recordings, balancing the needs of the live and recorded audience, the importance of digital annotation using e-ink, content navigation using index markers, the availability of the lecturecasts, and the importance of considering intellectual property. These findings demonstrate how the design and implementation of lecturecasting can be improved to ensure that students have the best possible experience of the material being presented

Comparing the technological literacy of pre-service teachers and secondary school students in South Africa

Technology education was introduced for the first time after the abolition of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994. The technology curriculum required that students become technologically literate. However, in order for students to become technologically literate, teachers need to be technologically literate. In this study we explore pre-service teachers’ levels of technological literacy. The study will draw on an instrument to determine both the pre-service teachers’ (n = 12) and secondary school students’ (n = 179) levels of technological literacy. The instrument was developed and found to be reliable and valid in previous pilot studies. The instrument was based on a rigorous qualitative analysis of interview data which was in turn informed by categories that emerged from a phenomenographic analysis. Data were collected from the university graduated pre-service teachers, and from a unique group of secondary school students who are academically strong as they were selected to enter the Exposition for Science. Profiles of teachers’ and students’ scores were generated in two categories, namely how they conceive technology (Conception of Technology) and how they interact with technology (Interaction with technology). The category Conception of Technology, are described by two dimensions, namely Artefact and Process. The category Interaction with Technology, are described by four dimensions, namely, Direction, Instruction, Tinkering and Engaging. The outcome of the analysis suggests that pre-service teachers appear to place primacy on technology being associated with an artefact rather than a process. It is thus likely that the pre-service teachers in the present sample teachers will struggle to help school students develop a level of technological literacy that encompasses technology as being more than simply an artefact.Web of Scienc

The development and validation of an instrument — the Technological Profile Inventory — to determine students’ levels of technological literacy in South Africa

In this article we describe the development and validation of an instrument – the technological profile inventory (TPI). The instrument can be used to determine students’ level of technological literacy. The items used in the TPI were drawn from a previous study (Collier-Reed, 2006) and were based on a rigorous qualitative analysis of interview data which was in turn informed by categories that emerged from a phenomenographic analysis. Data were collected from four groups of students, three groups of first year students at university Engineering (167), Commerce (65), Arts (218), and one group of high school students (179). The students’ responses to the TPI were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha testing, as well as a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The result of the analysis was a modified version of the TPI where the data were found to be reliable and valid. The significant factors that defined the ‘nature of technology’ were found to be the view of technology as either an Artefact or related to a Process, while those constituting ‘interaction with technological artefacts’ were Direction/Instruction and Tinkering. A cohort analysis suggests Engineering students are statistically more likely to view technology as a process and interact with technological artefacts with less fear and more likely through self-initiation (Tinkering) – a more advanced technologically literate position. On the other hand the Arts students are more likely to expect direction or instruction from an authority figure (Direction/Instruction) when interacting with a technological artefact - a less technologically literate position. Further work involves determining how to meaningfully combine the scores achieved by an individual completing the TPI to ultimately determine a score indicative of their applicable level of technological literacy

Admitting engineering students with the best chance of success: technological literacy and the Technological Profile Inventory (TPI)

This is an extract, with permission, from the proceedings of the 2011 SASEE Conference.In this article we describe the development and validation of an instrument – the Technological Profile Inventory (TPI). The instrument can be used to determine whether an applicant’s level of technological literacy is suitable for admission to an engineering programme. It might be argued that students entering an engineering programme should demonstrate a level of technological literacy, not sought during the admission process at most universities in South Africa, which rely primarily on the National Benchmark Testing instrument and the National Senior Certificate examination results. The items used in the TPI were drawn from a previous study (Collier-Reed, 2006) and were based on a rigorous qualitative analysis of interview data which was in turn informed by categories that emerged from a phenomenographic analysis. Data were collected from 198 Engineering and 237 Commerce students and the items subjected to exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha testing. The result of the analysis was a modified version of the TPI where the data were found to be reliable and valid. The significant factors that defined the ‘nature of technology’ were found to be the view of technology as either an artefact or related to a process, while those constituting ‘interaction with technological artefacts’ were direction and tinkering. A cohort analysis suggests that the anecdotal view of the possible difference in technological literacy between Commerce and Engineering students is supported by the data – Commerce students are statistically more likely to view technology as an artefact and interact with technological artefacts only when directed to do so, a less technologically literate position. Further work involves determining how to meaningfully combine the scores achieved by an individual completing the TPI to ultimately determine a score indicative of their applicable level of technological literacy

Validating an instrument for use in assessing the technological literacy of upper secondary school students

This is an extract, with permission, from the proceedings of the 2013 SAARMSTE Conference.In this paper an instrument for assessing upper secondary school students‘ levels of technological literacy is presented. The items making up the instrument emerged from a previous study that used a phenomenographic research approach to explore students‘ conceptions of technological literacy in terms of their understanding of the nature of technology and their interaction with technological artefacts. The instrument was validated through administration to 969 students on completion of their 12 years of formal schooling. A factor analysis and Cronbach alpha reliability co-efficient was conducted on the data and the results show that a four-dimension factor structure (namely, Artefact, Process, Direction/Instruction, and Tinkering) strongly supported the dimensions as developed during the original phenomenographic study. The Cronbach alpha reliability co-efficient of each dimension was satisfactory. Based on these findings, the instrument has been shown to be valid and reliable and can be used with confidence

The influence of podcasting on student learning: a case study across two courses

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published in European Journal of Engineering Education on 09 April 2013, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03043797.2013.786026.There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in higher education, but to date little research that interrogates closely its impact on student learning. The present study investigated how students used lecture podcasts when produced in two engineering courses at a South African university. The findings confirm much of the growing consensus in the literature. Firstly, a majority of students in the courses elected to use the podcasts. Secondly, the study notes that lecture attendance, in contexts where lectures are seen as beneficial, is not adversely affected. Thirdly, few students use podcasts in the mobile mode but most rather use them as an additional resource in their private study spaces. There is intense use in the build up to tests and examinations, and there is a particular benefit for students who are not first language speakers of the medium of instruction. This study also points to the existence of both deep and surface approaches to engaging with podcasts, with substantial evidence of many students using podcasts as a means towards better understanding

A curriculum framework for flexible engineering degrees in South Africa

South Africa produces too few engineers to meet its development needs. The number of graduating engineers is slowly increasing, but is still only about 2000 per year, serving a population of over 50 million. Data from the Council on Higher Education (CHE 2013) show that for the 2005 cohort of BEng students nationally only 25% obtained an engineering degree in the regulation time of four years, with another 19% taking five years. In a study for the Engineering Council of South Africa on improving throughput (Fisher 2011), one suggestion was to increase curriculum flexibility to better cater for the needs of a diverse student population. As part of a CHE project, we developed exemplar curricula for engineering degrees designed to take either four or five years to complete. In this paper we describe the underpinning principles that guided the design and illustrate how they are applied in curriculum exemplars for a mechanical engineering degree

Criminal Law: Customer’s Permanent Exclusion From Retail Store Due to Prior Shoplifting Arrests Held Enforceable Under Criminal Trespass Statute

In interpretive research, trustworthiness has developed to become an important alternative for measuring the value of research and its effects, as well as leading the way of providing for rigour in the research process. The article develops the argument that trustworthiness plays an important role in not only effecting change in a research project’s original setting, but also that trustworthy research contributes toward building a body of knowledge that can play an important role in societal change. An essential aspect in the development of this trustworthiness is its relationship to context. To deal with the multiplicity of meanings of context, we distinguish between contexts at different levels of the research project: the domains of the researcher, the collective, and the individual participant. Furthermore, we argue that depending on the primary purpose associated with the collective learning potential, critical potential, or performative potential of phenomenographic research, developing trustworthiness may take different forms and is related to aspects of pedagogical legitimacy, social legitimacy, and epistemological legitimacy. Trustworthiness in phenomenographic research is further analysed by distinguishing between the internal horizon – the constitution of trustworthiness as it takes place within the research project – and the external horizon, which points to the impact of the phenomenographic project in the world mediated by trustworthiness