A 75% response from a survey of 161 agricultural, 131 home economics, 86 auto mechanics, and 70 carpentry teachers identified the best indicator of faculty commitment to vocational student organizations to be membership rate. Faculty in vocational schools to which students must be transported for part of the school day may be less committed. (SK)

Comparison of the conceptions of learning of 60 nursing students and 54 auto mechanic students, elicited in individual interviews at program beginning and end, found qualitative differences and similarities. Differences within an educational program were fewer than those among students participating in different programs. Among students within a…

A significant fraction of household hazardous waste (HHW) is generated by home mechanics who use such products as motor oil, cleaners and solvents, and batteries. This survey assessed the following aspects: (1) perceptions of their health-related effects; (2) perceptions of their pollution potential; and (3) their use and disposal. (LZ)

The implementation and subsequent evaluation of the PLATO IV system in an Air Force vehicular maintenance training program are described. Outcomes of this project, which was designed to test the effectiveness of the PLATO IV instructional system in a technical training environment, indicate that PLATO could be successfully incorporated into the…

This study was concerned with the validation of the Oklahoma Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center's agricultural mechanics curriculum manual and the development of a model whereby future manuals can be validated. Five units in the manual were randomly selected from a list of units to be taught during the second semester of the 1977-78…

Validated aptitude tests used to help make personnel decisions about military recruits against hands-on tests of job performance in radio repairers and automotive mechanics. Data were filled with errors, reducing accuracy of validity coefficients. Discusses how validity coefficients can be made more accurate by exercising quality control during…

Informal training is known to be the dominant skill acquisition strategy for the majority of workers in India and many other economically developing countries and there is much benefit in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this form of training. A participant observation case study was undertaken in northern India to investigate these…

The validity of the Training Benefit Forecasting Method (TBFM) in a recreational vehicle service training setting was studied. Cost-benefit issues were associated with the Onan Service School change from a field-based Recreational Vehicle Generator Set training program to a customer-delivered self-instructional training program. Actual costs and…

This report documents a statewide competency validation project to provide current information about job skills considered "important to know" by Texas industrial experts in the areas of auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, office occupations, print shop trades, and welding. Section 1 describes the steps used to conduct the study and…

This project explored the feasibility of using the correspondence study concept as a means of providing vocational education. A search of the literature supplied information on the past use of independent study programs in vocational education and other areas. Factors related to the acceptance, cost, and development of independent study programs…

A study was conducted to identify effective recruitment techniques as reported by students within baccalaureate automotive technology programs. Participants in the study were 382 students (freshmen through seniors) of 8 universities in the United States that offer automotive technology baccalaureate degrees. The following sixteen recruitment…

In two experiments, a total of 78 female college students, who were novices about automobile mechanics, read technical passages about vehicle braking systems with and without illustrations that were labeled or unlabeled. Results indicate that illustrations help readers focus attention and form mental models. (SLD)

This report describes the complexities of the process of developing National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in Britain. It identifies many of the organizations and agencies that are involved in the establishment of a new framework of vocational qualifications. Issues, such as progression and credit accumulation, assessment of open access and…

This study assesses the utility of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (A.S.V.A.B.) in predicting the academic success of students enrolled in the Automotive Service Specialist curriculum at the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College (Alfred, New York). This document, part I of a two-part study, describes the…

A participant observation study, located in central Scotland, was carried out to observe the process of skill acquisition among informally trained auto mechanics in the workplace. As well as noting processes of workplace learning, the benefits/limitations of this type of learning was noted and suggestions made as to how this information may be of…