A case study of automotive technology instructors experiences an

University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations and Theses Dissertations 12-17-2004 A Case Study of Automotive Technology Instructors' Experiences and Perceptions of Curriculum Change in the Louisiana Technical College John Robert Martin University of New Orleans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/td Recommended Citation Martin, John Robert, "A Case Study of Automotive Technology Instructors' Experiences and Perceptions of Curriculum Change in the Louisiana Technical College" (2004). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations.edu/td/213 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uno. A CASE STUDY OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTORS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS OF CURRICULUM CHANGE IN THE LOUISIANA TECHNICAL COLLEGE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Curriculum and Instruction by John Martin B.

University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1989 M. Northwestern State University, 1995 December 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS What has become, shall always be. I thank the many friends, family, and peers who have contributed to this study or made it possible for me to pursue and complete this endeavor. This thanks begins with my mother, Patricia Martin, who seems to think I can do no wrong and looks the other way when she realizes I can do wrong.

Of my professional acquaintances I want to recognize as being major influences to my professional development in this study, I start with Patricia Juneau (my former campus director). Without her initial encouragement, I might have hesitated in pursuing a terminal degree. Len Garrett (my present boss) for the release time from my job responsibilities and his encouragement for me to complete this project. Although we initially met many years ago on a professional basis, I now consider Richard Bushnell as one of my closest friends who has provided a major influence in my doctoral studies as well as a mentor to what it really means to be a teacher in today’s convoluted societal ii standards.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also recognize and thank Linda and Diana. Happy trails ladies! Special thanks goes out to those friends who provided their support to me through their own time to assist with this project. They include my dissertation committee: Jim Killacky (my committee chairperson and major professor), Amy Wells (my methodologist), Jimmy Clarke, Marvin Thames, and Charles Gifford. Additional thanks is due to Martha Arrington (a neutral reader), Karen Delafosse (transcriptionist), Barbara O’Neal (word processor technical support) and Diann Brown (peer debriefer).

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.ix CHAPTER ONE Introduction to the Study.1 Setting of the Study.5 Personal Context of the Study.8 Theoretical Framework of the Study.11 Statement of the Problem.17 The Research Question and Methodology.18 Need for the Study .19 Definition of Terms.21 Overview of the Study.24 CHAPTER TWO Introduction to the Literature Review.25 Vocational Education Curricula Design.29 From the Top Down?.33 Resistance to Change.40 iv Learner-Centered Organizational Change.45 Effective Transformational Change.55 CHAPTER THREE Organization of the Chapter.58 Purpose of the Study.58 Design and Methodology: Qualitative Research.63 Design of the Study.74 Delimitations of the Study.76 Limitations of the Study.79 CHAPTER FOUR Findings.102 Industry Standards/Expectations.118 CHAPTER FIVE Discussion.121 Overview of the Study.124 vi Campus Settings.128 Discussion of Findings.134 Industry Standards/Expectations.136 Implications for Policy and Practice.164 Appendix A: Introductory Letter.165 Appendix B: Consent Form.167 Appendix C: Individual Interview Questionnaire.169 Appendix D: Individual Interview Questionnaire (2).170 Appendix E: Analysis of a Participant Concept.171 Appendix F: Interview Follow Up Letter.172 Appendix G: Human Subjects Approval Form.173 Appendix H: Louisiana Technical College Map.174 Appendix I: 2000-2001 Academic Calendar.175 vii Appendix J: 2001-2002 Academic Calendar.177 viii ABSTRACT The landscape of postsecondary education is changing in a variety of ways that present challenges and opportunities to educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders of higher education. One of the most significant areas of postsecondary educational change is in the community and technical college setting. The missions of both these institutional settings have changed to meet new technological demands, global economic competition, and societal issues. A consequence of mission change has been significant changes in the manner that instruction of technical education is conducted at these institutions.

This case study explores automotive technology instructors’ experiences and perceptions of changes in their curriculum in the newly created Louisiana Community and Technical College System. The study uses a case study qualitative methodology with individual interviews of a purposive sample population of automotive instructors at Louisiana Technical College. The study revealed three significant issues impacting the instructors’ experiences and perceptions of curriculum change in their automotive technology program. One issue was the manner in which ix instructional delivery had changed by structure, course length and scheduling, and lab work.

A second issue was the availability of appropriate instructional resources that included educational technology and training equipment. The third issue was the impact of industry standards and expectations on curriculum change in the instructors’ programs. Recommendations are offered for policymakers, educators, and further research. x 1 CHAPTER ONE Introduction to the Study At the beginning of the 19th Century, Booker T.

Washington, in Tuskegee and Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements (1905), wrote the following words: To be sure, a flourishing garden may be made and managed by bright-eyed tots just out of the kindergarten, but how can commercial fertilizers be carefully analyzed by a boy who has made no study of general chemistry? And how can a balanced ration be adjusted by an illiterate person? Similarly, the girl in the laundry does not make soap by rote, but by principle; and the girl in the dressmaking shop does not cut out her pattern by luck, or guess, or instinct, or rule of thumb, but by geometry (p. This quote highlights the importance that was placed on vocational education as far back as the early years in which America began to rise as an economic and industrial world power. The design of vocational education curricula has been under a constant state of scrutiny and change efforts since then. One hundred years ago, fifty years ago, even twenty-five years ago, 2 education in America looked drastically different than it does today.

There are many different reasons for the changes that have occurred. Social issues such as racial diversity, economic issues such as the global business market, and technology issues such as the explosion of the Internet have promoted change at all levels of education. One of the levels of education that has probably seen the greatest change in recent years has been the two-year postsecondary vocational program of community and technical colleges. Student enrollment trends are doubling in vocational programs (McClenney, 1998).

Business and industry demands for training are promoting a shift in the education market from liberal arts endeavors to vocational training (Gumport & Sporn, 1999). Evidence of this can be found by the significant amount of federally funded grants directed to this educational level (McNeil, 1997). These funding initiatives include the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technology Act and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Rosenfeld (1999) points to the lack of a rigid organizational structure in the two-year institution as the reason they are able to work effectively with industry in curriculum development and design. Ultimately, the two-year institution is being looked at as the linking organization for people of all races, age, and culture to connect to and maintain that connection to the world (Ammentorp & Copa, 1998). 3 These factors have helped to promote the image of the two- year institution as both focal points for economic development and social reform in a way that has necessitated transformation of mission. For community colleges, their new economic development role has contributed to a change in their traditional mission as institutions providing two-year transfers to universities (Bakia, Dougherty, 2000).

For technical colleges, their traditional mission of vocational skills preparation has been greatly expanded in many different ways. Adult basic education is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of instruction in these institutions as almost half of all students entering these institutions enroll in at least one remedial course (Schuetz, 2002). Basic vocational skills curricula are increasingly being complemented with customized training initiatives and job skills upgrade training; both a consequence of the lifelong learning needs driven by today’s technological, economic, and social trends. However, with a change in the technical college mission, there has to be a consequential change in the goals of knowledge delivery.

The basic changes technical colleges have transformed through closely emulate community college settings such as semester academic years, credit hour scheduling, and increased academic offerings. Many of these transformations have resulted in what traditional vocational educators claim are dilutions of 4 hands-on, technical training curricula with intellectual work (Vo, 1996). While there are documents that examine organizational changes to postsecondary vocational educational systems in states such as California, Georgia, Maine, Tennessee, and Wisconsin (Brewer, 1996; Mayhew, 1974; Patton, 2002; Peterson, 1998; Rash-Wooten, 1987; Rhoda, 1985), there is a lack of systematic research examining perceptions about and meaning of curriculum changes in such systems. Louisiana Technical College is currently experiencing these organizational changes.

A review of current literature has found little research that is directly applicable to Louisiana Technical College or is of significant benefit to the policymakers that affect change in the college. This study addresses the experiences and perceptions of technical college faculty who have experienced postsecondary vocational curriculum change at Louisiana Technical College. An analysis of these experiences and perceptions substantively addresses a current gap in the literature and provides some conclusions that will inform policymakers of Louisiana Technical College and other statewide vocational colleges going through similar change. 5 Setting of the Study Originally known as “Trade Schools”, Louisiana’s present day technical college began with the establishment of the first school at Bogalusa in November of 1930.

Funding for the school was provided by local sawmill workers, students, and other citizens in response to their desire to expand course offerings through the Bogalusa Secondary School System to include a “manual arts” training department. Initially, training was provided in woodworking and automobile mechanics (www.net/ltc_history. In 1936, a second school came into existence in Shreveport, Louisiana. The fledgling vocational school system continued to grow with five additional schools with the passage of the Louisiana Legislative Act 14 in 1938.

Schools were constructed in Winnfield, Crowley, Lake Charles, Opelousas, and Natchitoches. Vocational schools continued to be constructed across Louisiana with funding from legislative acts until the 1980’s. By 1987, a statewide postsecondary vocational training system had been created to include 53 schools with a total enrollment of over 15,000 students (Montgomery-Richard, 2004; www.net/ltc_history. This system of postsecondary vocational schools was governed by Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

BESE’s governing responsibilities also 6 included oversight of Louisiana’s secondary school systems. Most of the organizational and curriculum design of the system emulated recommendations from a report produced by the Public Affairs Research Council in 1977 (Keller, Kidder, Pliner, & Stoneciper, 1977). The report recommended planning of instructional programs within local school jurisdictions, minimal instructional program lengths, and curriculum design that would complement secondary and collegiate level programs. This provided an environment in which the postsecondary vocational schools and secondary school systems maintained very close ties.

Instructional curriculum development for postsecondary vocational programs closely paralleled secondary vocational curriculum with the use of clock hour course organization and skills competency student assessment methodologies. Instructional curricula varied in content and program length according to local workforce needs (G. Garrett, personal communication, May 13, 2004).