Roger B. Hill

Navigating the straits with research or opinion? Setting the course for Technology Education

The purpose of this study was to identify a concise list of constructs representative of the issues and problems confronting Technology Education today. Data was collected from a random sample of 600 members of the International Technology Education Association. A total of 254 usable instruments was returned for a response rate of 42.3%. A factor analysis using a principal-components analysis followed by orthogonal rotation using a Varimax procedure resulted in possible factor solutions with from 7 to 15 factors. These factor matrices were then examined to determine which was most appropriate to provide a meaningful and concise list of constructs representative of the issues and problems included in the study.An eight-factor solution was suggested by the analysis of data. The factors identified werefunding, academic content, program vitality, leadership, research base, teacher supply, identity, andintegration. Collectively, these factors explained 48 of the 60 items identified by Wickleins (1993) original study and accounted for 24.4% of the total variance. While the ability of a short list of terms was limited in its capacity to embody the meaning of the 60 distinct concepts represented by the data, the list developed is manageable enough to provide a practical focus for concerted efforts to enhance the field of technology education at a critical time in its existence.

A Framework for 21st-Century Career-Technical and Workforce Education Curricula

Increasingly, career-technical and workforce education professionals are challenged with determining the best ways to prepare people for work, when many of the jobs those people will perform do not exist yet. Twenty-first-century work is evolving rapidly, with some jobs going away, other types of work appearing, and many people working in jobs that do not maximize their potential. To remain relevant in this emerging landscape, a framework is needed that can structure and guide research and curriculum development in workforce preparation in an increasingly volatile and uncertain future. We examine three key components—career navigation, work ethic, and innovation—that can situate career-technical and workforce education curricula to anticipate rapid changes in workplace demands and ensure student outcomes that will be lasting and durable in the 21st-century workplace.

Studying the Usability of an Intervention to Promote Teachers’ Use of Robotics in STEM Education:

We developed RoboSTEM, a portal for open educational resources for the use of robotics in teaching and learning, to help teachers learn how to design and implement lessons using robotics. In this article, the design and functionality of RoboSTEM and the theoretical foundations behind its design are described. Two usability testing studies are also presented. Participants were 13 pre- and in-service teachers. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data analyses show that (a) usability survey ratings were positive overall and improved after revisions from the first usability study to the second; (b) data from participants’ screen activities and interviews were aligned with the survey results; (c) high levels of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement in RoboSTEM were observed; and (d) the positive impact of RoboSTEM on example-based learning was acknowledged among teachers. Applications of RoboSTEM as well as future research and development directions are discussed.