Perceptions of the years 7-10 mandatory design and technology course in a selected New South Wales government school

Abstract

The study consisted of a survey relating to the perceptions of students and teachers on the Years 7 - 10 mandatory Design and Technology course. It was carried out in a selective co-ed high school with a population of 887 students and located in outer Western Sydney, NSW, Australia. The course was followed by 298 students, 17 5 boys and 123 girls, in Years 7 and 8 distributed in 16 classes. A self-completion questionnaire was administered to five randomly selected classes, consisting of 98 students and a random sample of 20 students, were interviewed. Observations of students were also carried out during Teaching Practice. A questionnaire was administered to the eight teachers, involved in the teaching of the course and dialogues were also held with these same members of staff The course had been implemented for three years as a core subject, and was to be a means of providing further opportunity for excellence and equity to all students. The study provided a measure of the students' general attitude towards the subject, the relationship between gender and the students attitudes towards the particular materials used, the students' willingness to continue to study the course, and their views of its usefulness throughout their future life. The Chi square test was used to compare the sex group differences between Year 7 and Year 8 students. Students' perceptions were found to be diverse, yet a lot of benefits were characterised as outcomes of the course.