Education Commons^™

1c1. Students With An Edge: Community Partnerships That Support All Learners, Jill Janes, Kris Byam

Education Summit

Today’s pK-12 students are preparing for a future workplace that is being written while they inhabit our classrooms. Educators, employers, and policymakers each have a stake in creating a global-ready workforce, yet each entity alone cannot effectively reach all learners. This session highlights an exemplar model for pK-12 work-based learning that engages all stakeholders in ongoing development of community- and industry-relevant learning experiences. The model encourages community-based career awareness and exploration in elementary grades with more advanced preparation and training in high school. A continuum of structure for accessing work-based learning experiences at the high school provides a culminating learning …

Building 21st Century Business Skills In High School Business Classrooms Using Digital Games And Simulations, Stacy Marcus

Graduate Research Papers

Digital games and simulations are often seen as fun activities to reward students but their potential is much greater. This literature review examined how integrating digital games and simulations into secondary business curriculum can help students build the skills needed for the 21st century workplace in an environment that is conducive to how they learn best. The effects of digital games and simulations on student motivation are also examined as well as how to assess student learning while using these tools. The information found came from peer-reviewed journals, books, and studies from the Web. Digital games and simulations have proven …

Enrollment Of Students With Disabilities In Career And Technical Education, Cory C. Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The enrollment patterns of students with and without disabilities in Career and Technical Education (CTE) were examined. Data were collected from the transcripts and Individualized Education Plans (IEP) of 27 students with disabilities and the transcripts of 27 students without disabilities from three school districts at the end of their senior year. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses to describe differences between the enrollment patterns of students with and without disabilities as well as between students with different types and severity of disability. Overall, students in special education earned more CTE credits than students in general education. Additionally, …

An Occupational Analysis Of Prepress In The Des Moines And Eastern Iowa Regions, Lee John Geisinger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It is important that educators use a relevant, up-to-date curriculum when educating on a specific occupation. Job task analysis is an effective way for educators to understand an occupation and provide students with valuable information. This study analyzed prepress technicians' duties and tasks.

This research used the occupational analysis method called the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process. The DACUM process uses an expert worker panel to identify the duties and tasks of an occupation. This study found that there are 9 duties and 55 tasks for a prepress technician. After identifying the duties and tasks, the study confirmed those duties …

Face-To-Face Training Versus Web-Based Training : Which Instructional Approach Is Better?, Nichola J. Lewis

Graduate Research Papers

Training skilled employees is essential in determining the success of an organization. Determining which type of training, whether face-to-face or web-based, will best serve the needs of an organization remains an issue. This literature review will attempt to answer the questions, "How do adults learn; what is web-based training; what is face-to-face training; is web-based training more effective than face-to-face training; and can web-based training and face-to-face training be combined?"

The Corporate University : Effective Strategies Used To Create A Productive Corporate Training Program, Eduardo Calderon

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review describes the strategies utilized in creating a successful corporate training program. There has been an evolution in the corporate training sector within the past decade that has encouraged the development of the corporate university. Many of our world's top companies are teaching content that is used to motivate employees to ensure a higher level of corporate success. This review suggests that by following the components established by effective training and instructional design, other entities can produce the same prosperous outcomes.

The Transformation Of A Middle School Industrial Shop To A Modular Industrial Technology Lab And Communicating This Transformation To The Local Community, Lynn Figg

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this graduate project was to describe the transformation of a middle school industrial arts shop to a modular industrial technology lab and the subsequent public relations effort to communicate this transformation to the local community. This project facilitated a better understanding of what a modular industrial technology lab is, what it looks like, and how it meets the needs of the industrial technology curriculum.

A PowerPoint presentation was created to explain to the diverse audiences how the change from a traditional industrial arts "shop" class to a modular industrial technology lab at an intermediate school took place, …

Training : What Is Training, Identifying The Need For Training, Methods Of Training, And How Can Trainings Effectiveness Be Evaluated?, Michael Johnson Jr.

Graduate Research Papers

This review involves aspects and elements of preparing effective training programs. In this review the researcher addresses the design and development stages of training programs. This review will provide valuable information for practitioners in the field of training and staff development. Definitions, needs assessment methods, evaluating effectiveness, methods of conducting evaluations, and building a rational for training programs are the areas covered by this review.

This review is written in the perspective for novice trainers and staff developers. The information provided can assist novice trainers build a knowledge base to enhance their ability to provide effective training. This review is …

School-To-Work : What Does This Mean For Our Schools?, Amy K. Leonhart

Graduate Research Papers

Over the course of fifty years the academic content of schools has changed dramatically. Today, employers are looking for different skills from their employees than they were in the 1950s. Therefore, schools have been given the assignment to teach young adults about surviving in the work force.

Where do these skills fit into the schools' curriculum? Is this just another item that is added to the plate of teachers? What time is the "right" time to start teaching these critical skills to youngsters? This paper examines those questions. It also focuses on the different aspects of the school-to-work initiative.

Computer-Based Training And Its Impact On Training And Education, Carla Gahwiler

Graduate Research Papers

Computer-based training is an area of training that is growing at a rapid pace. Although it is becoming more and more popular, we must determine the actual impact it has on training in order to assess its usefulness and relevance. This study was developed by researching and compiling available data on the subject of computer based training, and then forming an assessment of this type of training based on that information. It was found that computer based training offers many positive features as well as advantages and appropriate applications, but it does have its limitations, and is not the answer …

The World Of Work : An Intermediate Level Curriculum Model Integrating School-To-Work And Service Learning, Virginia Lavelle

Graduate Research Papers

Workers will need new and different skills for the changing economy in the 21st century. Current legislation includes school improvement and school-to-work. This project was designed to incorporate the educational reform movements of school-to-work and service learning within the school year calendar to provide educational work-related experiences for a full range of intermediate level learners in an inclusive classroom. Within this model students practice developing and applying basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities (SCANS) through work-based experiences which bring together school-to-work and service learning.

The Relationship Of Teachers' Job Satisfaction And Their Perceptions Of Principals' Leadership Styles In Private Vocational High Schools In A Selected Metropolitan Area Of Taiwan, Ining Yuan-Hsiang Chu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and their perceptions of principals' leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles) in the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area of Taiwan. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference between teachers' gender, educational level, and length of service in terms of their perceptions of the three different leadership styles and job satisfaction.

The sample consisted of 629 full-time private vocational high school teachers. The translated Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership styles. The translated Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) …

Secondary And Postsecondary Vocational Education Curriculum Articulation As Perceived By Community College And High School Administrators, John W. Sorenson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The transition of the vocational student from the secondary school to the community college may result in unnecessary duplication of educational resources and curriculum, and can cause the student to waste time, effort, and lose motivation (Whitlock, 1978). Curriculum articulation is a significant approach to solving these problems (Hull & Parnell, 1991). The purpose of the study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the perceptions of community college and high school administrators regarding ideal and actual vocational articulation practices, and (b) to investigate the differences of perceptions to determine if differences were a function of administrative position.

The High School-Community College …

Listening Comprehension Analysis In A Midwestern Community College, Mary M. Conrad

Graduate Research Papers

At the post secondary level, listening comprehension is one of the most needed and least taught of the communication skills. This study compares whether a direct teaching method.is more effective than an indirect method for improving listening comprehension. Twenty-four secretarial students in two business communications classes were the subjects of the study. There were fifteen females in group 1 and eight females and one male in group 2. The Watson-Barker Listening Test was used to pre- and post-test subjects' listening comprehension.

Group 1 received listening instruction via a direct method; group 2 received instruction via an indirect method. T-test analysis …

Factors Influencing Minority Enrollment In Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Education Programs In The State Of Iowa, Samuel Chukuemeka Obi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A study involving minority students was undertaken to ascertain and validate pertinent variables that influenced their enrollment in the postsecondary vocational-technical education programs in the state of Iowa. The study was also used to determine: (a) whether there were significant differences in the perceptions of postsecondary vocational-technical education minority students and vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the one hand, and college-minded, vocational-technical-minded, and non-college/non-vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the other; (b) whether the identified variables had comparable influences on postsecondary minority students to what the students thought; (c) the sources from which minority students learned the most about …

An Analysis Of The Importance Of Selected Applied Physics Concepts As Prerequisites To Training In Automotive Technology, Patrick Michael Mccleskey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study has been to develop information that may be useful in the preparation of curriculums and materials dedicated to the remediation of applied physics knowledge and skill deficits demonstrated by entering automotive technology students. The problem was to identify and rank-order the importance of applied physics concepts within the mechanical, fluidal, electrical/electronic, thermal, and chemical domains that are foundational to training in automotive technology.

A questionnaire containing 77 concept statements with a corresponding graphic rating scale was administered via mailed correspondence to all 196 of California's full-time community college automotive instructors. Of these, 130 (66.33%) were …

Competencies Required Of Baccalaureate Degree Graduates From Graphic Communications Programs, Eldon B. Swanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The problem of this study was to identify and validate a list of competencies that may be used by graphic communications educators as the basis for curricula development that meets the needs of the contemporary graphic communications industry. The purpose of this study was to provide the graphic communications educator with a comprehensive, prioritized, and logically clustered list of competencies required of baccalaureate degree graduates from graphic communications programs as perceived by representatives from the graphic communications industry and graphic communications educators.

The survey instrument used for this study is based on a seven point graphic rating scale on which …

Entrepreneurship Education Project In Vocational Education Programs. Survey Of Program Coordinators., Del Shepard

Faculty Publications

A survey determined the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education within Iowa school systems. Twenty-four teacher/participants in inservice secondary and postsecondary vocational education training who requested and received PACE (Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship) materials were surveyed with a 92 percent response rate. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents indicated that units were available. Sixty-four percent had received training during the past 3 years. A total of 1;110 students received instruction each year. Seventy-three percent of the students had a realistic option of going into business. Twenty-one respondents said that activities are managed individually. Results indicated that practicing entrepreneurs are involved in …

Manual Training: Its Role In The Development Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Educational System, Gerald Wayne Coy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the history of manual training within the Seventh-day Adventist educational system and determine its relationship to the development of manual training in the public schools of America. Consideration was also given to the present status of manual training within the Adventist system.

The research design was historical in form, and data were gathered covering three special areas: (a) the development of manual training in American public schools; (b) the establishment of Seventh-day Adventist education; and (c) the present status of technology education (the great-grandchild to manual training) within Adventist secondary education.

Research …

The Relationship Between Teacher Sex Role Models And Career Aspirations Of High School Industrial Arts Students, Janet Lynn Robb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Sex role stereotyping has been the focus of a number of research projects trying to determine just where stereotyping lies and ways to eliminate it. Although most of the research points toward role modeling as a major cause, little has been done to test that theory.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher sex role models and the career aspirations of students enrolled in high school industrial arts courses throughout the United States. This study was limited to tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students enrolled in industrial arts programs in high schools in the United …

Identification Of Tasks In Office Occupations: June 1973 Workshop. Final Report, Jack C. Reed

Faculty Publications

A shortened version of the final report of a Federally-funded developmental curriculum research project; the publication presents the findings of a workshop (University of Northern Iowa; 1973) for the purpose of identification of job tasks for entry-level office occupations from research-based materials. Studies by Lamb (Mary Lou); Lanham (Frank W.); and Perkins (Edward A.) were used by the workshop participants to identify job tasks for selected entry-level office occupations. Job performance tasks indicated in the research were the basis for the selection of the following job classifications: stenographer; secretary; receptionist; general office clerk; clerk typist; mail clerk; transcribing machine operator; …

A Survey Of Career-Vocational Development Practices In The Junior High School Science Curriculum Of Selected Iowa Schools, David Eugene Mitchel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The objectives of this study were (1) to reveal the status of career-vocational development practices taking place now in the junior high school science departments of Iowa, (2) to describe the type of career-vocational development experiences being offered to approximately 55% of Iowa pupils in grades 7, 8, and 9, and (3) to identify the amount of emphasis being placed upon career-vocational development education at these grade levels of the science curriculum.

The principal method used was a questionnaire survey. This was carried out by mailing a 74 item questionnaire to 137 junior high principals. Replies totaling 119 were returned …

Training Needs For Metal Tradesmen In Iowa, Harlan E. Giese

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was undertaken to assist area schools and the State Board of Public Instruction by identifying the industrial training needs for semi-skilled and skilled metal tradesmen.

One of the problems confronting the administrators of the area community colleges, vocational schools, and high schools in Iowa is that of identifying the industrial training needs of manufacturers and business firms in the state. This need identification is necessary so that students trained in occupational curricula in the area-community colleges and vocational schools, and local high schools will find jobs available in their field of specialization when they graduate.

The area schools …

An Evaluation Of Manpower Training In Waterloo, Iowa, Jean Ray Roush

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It was the purpose of this study: (1) to ascertain the extent to which the Manpower Training curriculum, provided under the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 by the Independent School District of Waterloo, Iowa, met the occupational needs of its graduates in the areas of training, (2) to identify possible deficiencies in the program, and (3) to make appropriate recommendations for curriculum improvement

A Follow-Up Study Of Former Senior High School Industrial Arts Students At Belle Plaine, Iowa, Donald E. Wallis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to determine, through the experiences and present status of the graduates and drop-outs who enrolled for industrial arts at the Belle Plaine High School, how effectively the industrial arts program had met their vocational as well as their general needs after leaving high school.

Further purposes of the study were 1) to evaluate the present industrial arts program in the school; and (2) to recommend changes which might enable the industrial arts department to meet the needs of youth more effectively.