Abstract
Industrial arts/technology education instructors in the public school system have always been confronted with the problem of keeping abreast of recent innovations affecting their fields of instruction. A large majority of these teachers are not able to attend regular college classes and must rely on self-initiated learning as a means of keeping up-to-date. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantity and quality of self-initiated learning engaged in by instructors. Another objective of this study was to determine those learning styles most used by industrial arts/technology education teachers. Finally, a comparison was made between formal and informal learning as it related to the items in this study. Data were collected through the use of a survey distributed to 150 teachers in the state of Texas. The response rate was 62.67 percent. From the data collected the following conclusions were drawn: 1. A large number of teachers attended professional association meetings excluding national meetings. 2. One of the most prevalent styles of learning for teachers was through reading technical literature. 3. Technical studies and technical work dominated the self-initiated studies engaged in by teachers. 4. Among the least used styles of learning were trade shows, study groups, and seminars. 5. College instruction was not participated in by many of the instructors but was rated highly by those who were involved. 6. The largest amount of time was spent by teachers engaged in non-teaching work experiences unrelated to their fields of instruction. 7. Informal discussions between teachers usually involved professional matters. 8. The overall amount of time devoted to self-initiated learning shows a lack of involvement on the part of teachers beyond their efforts to solve immediate needs.
Akins, Franklin Louis (1986). Self-initiated learning among industrial arts/technology education instructors. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -20667.