New Jersey has utilized alternative certification to combat the shortage caused by technology education (TE) teacher attrition. Research has examined the effectiveness of alternative certification preparation programs for the core academic programs; however, very little research has been performed in the area of TE. The purpose of this study was to (a) evaluate the Praxis scores of teacher candidates in New Jersey seeking licensure in technology education, and (b) determine if there were differences between the TE among teachers completing different preparation programs. The theoretical framework that guided this quantitative study was rooted in Knowles' theory of andragogy, which supported learning methods for the teacher as a learner. The guiding question of this study was whether there existed a significant difference in Praxis II test scores among group A (traditionally certified teachers) versus group B (alternatively certified teachers).
This causal-comparative design took place among 164 TE teacher candidates from the 2 groups. Instrumentation was a praxis assessment for TE teacher candidates. Data collection included a random sampling of archival scores on the TE test that were analyzed with a t test. Findings revealed that teachers who completed the alternative route preparatory programs (group B) scored within a similar narrow range as compared to the TE teachers completing the traditional preparatory programs (group A). Implications for positive social change include providing the Teacher Advisory Mentor Program (TAMP) for TE teachers, which may reduce attrition of TE teachers and facilitate more effective teaching in the classroom.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:waldenu.edu/oai:scholarworks.waldenu.edu:dissertations-2638 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Creators | Avant, Kenya S. |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | Walden University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |
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