An assessment of the perceived inservice training needs of industrial arts teachers for working with handicapped students

Abstract

The problem as addressed by this study was to assess the perceived inservice training needs of industrial arts teachers for working with handicapped students. The data were gathered from a population of 1,529 industrial arts teachers in Texas during the 1981-1982 school year. A stratified random sample of 300 teachers was involved in the study. The sample stratification was based upon school district size. A survey instrument was developed for the study, which included three sections: demographic information, preference for method of inservice delivery, and perceived inservice training needs. Seventy-one percent of the sample responded to the questionnaire. The data were analyzed to determine the perceived training needs of the teachers and to determine if differences in needs existed between the various subgroups of the population. The subgroup comparisons were made on the basis of school district size, years of teaching experience, and previous experience with handicapped students. The results of this study clearly indicated a need to provide inservice training for industrial arts teachers working with handicapped students. Federal and Texas regulations require that all teachers serving handicapped students receive inservice training for that purpose. Only 40% of the sample had received such inservice training. Over 77% of the respondents indicated at least some need for training in each of the areas identified in the questionnaire. The analysis indicated that the perceived needs of industrial arts teachers are similar throughout the population. Significant differences were found in only two tests; teachers with less than four years of experience felt there was significantly less need for training to select appropriate learning materials and to implement individualized instruction plans. ...