Trait treatment interaction in a vocational concept learning task for disadvantaged students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between selected traits of disadvantaged students in vocational education and two commonly used instructional strategies, individualized instruction and a group lecture mode. Seven hypotheses were tested to achieve the purpose of the study. A total of 92 disadvantaged students participating in Coordinated Vocational Academic Education programs in the Corsicana Independent School District comprised the population of the study. The students were administered a series of tests to obtain measures of various student characteristics: (a) vocational aptitude, (b) vocational interest, (c) reading achievement, (d) mathematics achievement, (e) ethnicity, and (f) intelligence. In addition, students were pretested to determine their knowledge of three metal threaded fasteners used in the general construction trades class. Following the pretests, a lesson based on the concept teaching principles of D. Cecil Clark (1965) was administered to the students. The students were given the lesson in one of two presentation modes--a lecture with overhead transparencies, or an individualized, programmed notebook. Following the treatment, a 45 item posttest was administered. The results of lesson in one of two presentation modes--a lecture with overhead transparencies, or an individualized, programed notebook. Following the treatment, a 45-item posttest was administered. The results of the posttest were used to determine change scores for each student. Additionally, the posttest results were used to investigate whether there was trait treatment interaction between treatments and selected student characteristics..