Kurt Becker Copyright (c) 2012 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker Recent documents in Kurt Becker en-us Sun, 25 Nov 2012 07:10:31 PST 3600 Constructivism and the Use of Technology http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/23 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/23 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:56 PST Kurt Becker Thai Students' Attitudes and Concepts of Technology http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/22 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/22 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:52 PST Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand's Eighth National Education Development Plan (1997-2001), one is aimed at developing human capability in the areas of science and technology. This is to address the fact that the teaching of technology in Thailand is lagging behind the technological changes of the last decade. Part of this reform effort is the development of conceptual based learning activities in science and technology for 12 to 15-year old students. These concepts are being introduced through the offering of a subject at the high school level. de Klerk Wolters (1989) indicated learning the concepts of technology is necessary and should be required for all students of this age range. Cross and McCormick (1986) added that students in both primary and secondary schools need to learn to solve technological problems in creative ways. Students also should understand the nature of technology. Understanding technology is just as important for Thai students as it is for students in other countries.

]]> Kurt Henry Becker et al. National Center for Engineering and Technology Education http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/16 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/16 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:25 PST The article reports that the overall impact of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) is to strengthen the nation's capacity to deliver effective engineering and technology education in the K-12 schools. Further, it informs that the National Science Foundation established the Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) program to address needs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The CLT program has three goals, based upon stated national needs. First, CLT are expected to renew and diversify the cadre of national leaders in STEM education. The CLT includes partners with strengths in engineering and in technology education, including four land-grant university research partners and five technology education partners geographically distributed across the United States. On September 15, 2004, NCETE received funding from the National Science Foundation as one of the 17 CLTs in the country. The ultimate goal of NCETE is to infuse engineering design, problem solving, and analytical skills into K-12 schools through technology education and to increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of engineering and technology educators.

]]> Christine Hailey et al. Integrative Approaches among Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Subjects on Students' Learning: A Meta-Analysis http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/13 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/13 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:15 PST Kurt Henry Becker et al. American "KAIZEN" - A Perspective on American Management Theories http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/12 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/12 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:12 PST Kurt Henry Becker et al. Motivation While Designing in Engineering and Technology Education Impacted by Academic Preparation http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/11 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/11 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:09 PST The purpose of this study was to determine if high school students’ academic preparation was correlated with change in motivation during an engineering design challenge. The research was conducted in a high school classroom in which elements of engineering design were taught in a technology education context to eleventh-grade student from diverse academic backgrounds (measured by grade point average [GPA]). Participant motivation was assessed by the California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3). The CM3 measures student motivation to apply critical thinking skills and reasoning to solve problems in five subscales: mental focus, learning orientation, creative problem solving, cognitive integrity, and scholarly rigor.

Findings of this study suggested that knowledge of students’ GPA served as a predictor of student motivation. With the exception of the mental focus subscale, growth over time was not related to GPA. Change across multiple time points in the other four subscales of learning orientation, creative problems solving, cognitive integrity, and scholarly rigor did not show significant correlation with mathematics, science or communication GPA.

]]> Nathan Mentzer et al. Constructivism and the Use of Technology http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/10 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/10 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:05 PST Kurt Becker Thai Students' Attitudes and Concepts of Technology http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/9 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/9 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:01 PST Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand's Eighth National Education Development Plan (1997-2001), one is aimed at developing human capability in the areas of science and technology. This is to address the fact that the teaching of technology in Thailand is lagging behind the technological changes of the last decade. Part of this reform effort is the development of conceptual based learning activities in science and technology for 12 to 15-year old students. These concepts are being introduced through the offering of a subject at the high school level. de Klerk Wolters (1989) indicated learning the concepts of technology is necessary and should be required for all students of this age range. Cross and McCormick (1986) added that students in both primary and secondary schools need to learn to solve technological problems in creative ways. Students also should understand the nature of technology. Understanding technology is just as important for Thai students as it is for students in other countries.

]]> Kurt Henry Becker et al. Extending Instructional Reach Using Technology http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/8 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/8 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:56 PST Kurt Henry Becker Content and Strategies for Teaching Computer-Aided Drafting http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/7 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/7 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:53 PST Kurt Henry Becker Motivation while Designing in Engineering and Technology Education Impacted by Academic Preparation http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/6 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/6 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:47 PST The purpose of this study was to determine if high school students’ academic preparation was correlated with change in motivation during an engineering design challenge. The research was conducted in a high school classroom in which elements of engineering design were taught in a technology education context to eleventh-grade student from diverse academic backgrounds (measured by grade point average [GPA]). Participant motivation was assessed by the California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3). The CM3 measures student motivation to apply critical thinking skills and reasoning to solve problems in five subscales: mental focus, learning orientation, creative problem solving, cognitive integrity, and scholarly rigor.

Findings of this study suggested that knowledge of students’ GPA served as a predictor of student motivation. With the exception of the mental focus subscale, growth over time was not related to GPA. Change across multiple time points in the other four subscales of learning orientation, creative problems solving, cognitive integrity, and scholarly rigor did not show significant correlation with mathematics, science or communication GPA.

]]> N. Mentzer et al. Improving International Project Success http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/5 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/5 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:43 PST Discusses key issues concerning improving the success of international vocational and technical education projects worldwide. Important economic and social development roles played by vocational and technical education in the international development process; Comprehensive model on the development of economic and technical training programs; Rapid response worker adjustment component.

]]> Kurt Henry Becker et al. Engineering Education: Departments, Degrees and Directions http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/4 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/4 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:40 PST L. Benson et al. National Center for Engineering and Technology Education http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/3 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/3 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:37 PST The article reports that the overall impact of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) is to strengthen the nation's capacity to deliver effective engineering and technology education in the K-12 schools. Further, it informs that the National Science Foundation established the Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) program to address needs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The CLT program has three goals, based upon stated national needs. First, CLT are expected to renew and diversify the cadre of national leaders in STEM education. The CLT includes partners with strengths in engineering and in technology education, including four land-grant university research partners and five technology education partners geographically distributed across the United States. On September 15, 2004, NCETE received funding from the National Science Foundation as one of the 17 CLTs in the country. The ultimate goal of NCETE is to infuse engineering design, problem solving, and analytical skills into K-12 schools through technology education and to increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of engineering and technology educators.

]]> Christine Hailey et al. A Comparison of Students' Achievement and Attitudes Between Constructivist and Traditional Classroom Environments in Thailand Vocational Electronics Programs http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/2 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/2 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:34 PST Kurt Henry Becker et al. Council on Technology Teacher Education Yearbook http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/1 http://works.bepress.com/kurt_becker/1 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:18:30 PST Kurt Henry Becker et al.