| Summary: | Thesis (MTech (Education))--Peninsula Technikon, 2003 === This research study is mainly based on the third learning outcome for
Technology Education which requires the learners to be able to demonstrate
an understanding of interrelationships between science, technology, society
and the environment. The purpose of the study is to investigate how
Technology Teacher Training Programmes incorporate environmental aspects
into technology education and how Technology educators facilitate learning in
order to meet environmental requirements that are expressed as learning
outcome 3 for Technology Education. In this study an attempt is made to
encourage efforts that could lead to the development of new learning
frameworks, integrated activities and learning programmes for the technology
education curriculum.
The study is set against the literature on integrated programmes for
curriculum development in general and for environmental and technology
education in particular. It also draws on literature that calls for partnerships
and closer co-operation between institutions of higher learning and the world
of work, on evaluation research and programme evaluation and on the role
that could be played by service-learning in promoting attitudes and values that
are necessary for the integration of environmental aspects into technology
education.
Using the naturalistic or qualitative evaluation approach and narrative data
production methods in the context of teaching and learning, the lecturers in
teacher education institutions and technology educators in schools were
interviewed in order to find out how technology teacher education prepared
technology educators for the workplace and how technology educators
designed learning activities and facilitated learning in their technology
classrooms. The curriculum documents for technology teacher education
programmes were consulted and classroom observations also made.
The research findings have indicated that technology educators find it difficult
to integrate environmental education with technology education when
teaching technology education and that technology teacher education
programmes do not entirely prepare technology educators for the integration
process that is required by the Revised National Curriculum documents of the
Department of Education and Training.The study therefore calls for
partnerships and collaborative efforts of higher education institutions, the
Department of Education and Training and various environmental
organizations in order to develop work integrated curricula that could enable
technology educators to assist their learners to demonstrate an understanding
of interrelationships between science, technology, society and the
environment.
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