9 research outputs found
Technological literacy reconsidered: a model for enactment
The final publication is available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10798-009-9108-6.This paper presents a model to describe technological literacy as enacted by individuals in the course of shaping their lives and the world around them. The model has two interrelated facets â the potential for and enactment of technological literacy â where enactment and potential mutually constitute each other. This potential is made up of knowledge of a particular situation, personal engagement with a situation, and social engagement in the world. Enactment requires a particular set of competencies in action, which together helps shape the situation: recognizing needs; articulating problems; contributing towards the technological process; and analysing consequences. The implications of this model for technological literacy in the context of the individual and society, and the role of technology education in developing technological literacy, are discussed
An instrument to determine the technological literacy levels of upper secondary school students
In this article, an instrument for assessing upper secondary school studentsâ
levels of technological literacy is presented. The items making up the instrument emerged
from a previous study that employed a phenomenographic research approach to explore
studentsâ conceptions of technology in terms of their understanding of the nature of
technology and their interaction with technological artefacts. The instrument was validated
through administration to 1,245 students on completion of their 12 years of formal
schooling. A factor analysis was conducted on the data and Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients
determined. The results show that a five-dimension factor structure (namely,
artefact, process, direction/instruction, tinkering, and engagement) 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
Reconceptualising PCK research in D&T education: proposing a methodological framework to investigate enacted practice
Since first conceived, the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has
attracted much attention. Despite being lauded by educationalists as the unique knowledge
base of teachers, research on the concept over the past 30 years has yet to result in a universally
accepted definition being presented. Much of the contentions surrounding the lack of
an agreed upon conception appear to have stemmed from difficulties in understanding the
relationship between PCK, other areas of teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and enacted
practice. This paper considers the application of PCK frameworks to design and technology
(D&T) education, through an analysis of the nature of the discipline from an ontological
and epistemological perspective and contemporary perspectives on the construct of PCK.
It is theorised that the volition afforded to teachers in D&T through weakly framed subject
boundaries negates the effective application of PCK frameworks, as teachersâ beliefs have a
greater impact on enacted practices. In an attempt to better understanding enacted practice
in D&T education, the paper proposes a methodological framework centred on the interactions
between teachersâ beliefs and knowledge in the discipline, through synthesising the
concept of amplifiers and filters of practice with the nature of D&T education. The proposed
framework outlines the need to recognise individual teachersâ conception of capability
as a critical influence on enacted practice
Examining how technology is presented and understood in technology education: a pilot study in a preschool class
Question-think-learn: A pedagogy for understanding the material world
Material selection in design is complex. In terms of sustainability principles, materials canât simply be labelled as âgoodâ or âbadâ, but some students have trouble making sense of highly technical, contradictory, and confusing information. So how then do we engage and learn with students to question, think critically, and better understand the ecological, social, political, and economic implications of current production-consumption-throwaway practices? In this chapter, we present a framework of key elements and strategies drawn from the educational research literature that can support teaching and learning in Design and Technologies education. Specifically, we show how case studies could be used effectively to spark interest, inspire authentic open-ended questions, and provoke meaningful classroom talk about controversial technology-related issues concerning the material world. Content summaries for a number of engaging online resources are also provided