A study was conducted to provide data about noise levels as a potential health hazard for students and instructors involved in vocational agriculture shop operations in Missouri. The grinder and radial arm saw were determined to be potential noise problems if operated continuously for 15 minutes or longer. (LRA)

To determine the effects of noise intensities found in vocational shops and laboratories on student reading comprehension and task completion time, a study was conducted involving 94 students from 6 schools. The students were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group and given the task of reading and answering questions.…

The chief conclusions of a national survey of secondary schools' industrial arts programs include the following: (1) there is a major shortage of industrial arts teachers; (2) program content has not changed appreciably; (3) enrollment of female students is increasing; and (4) most school shops are not equipped to accommodate the handicapped. (SK)

This study provides experimental evidence that noise intensities typical of those found in vocational education laboratories are detrimental to student performance. As noise intensities increase in the learning environment, the time required to complete assigned tasks increases. (SK)

The Standards for Industrial Arts Programs Project sought to determine what kinds of facilities were in existence, what facilities were being planned, and how existing facilities had been modified to accommodate students with special needs. (LRA)

Techniques of classroom observation were used to increase teachers' awareness of the variable participation of boys and girls in science and craft lessons. The work indicates that considerable efforts may be needed to achieve the balanced participation of girls. (JOW)

A survey of state supervisors conducted to determine state policies regarding class size in industrial arts revealed that (1) 16 states have some form of recommendations/guidelines for facilities and (2) 22 of the 36 responding states have guidelines regarding maximum enrollment for industrial arts. (LRA)

This study of 134 introductory junior high industrial arts exploration students compared effects of interactive video instruction on learner performance and attitude to determine what learning tasks best lend themselves to interactive video instruction. Three experimental treatments were used: conventional computer assisted instruction, video…

The curricula of industrial arts courses in the Asian Region are changing to a more general approach to arouse interest in, and simple understanding of, industry and industrial processes. Spaces for industrial arts should be less tightly tailored to the needs of specific subject fields than was the case in the past. In secondary general schools,…

The utilization of workshop accomodations in the countries of the Asian Region are examined and the study concludes that, in most schools, a single multipurpose workshop is more economical than the separate workshops for separate crafts that are in common use at present. Design criteria are developed for multipurpose "industrial arts"…

A study analyzed the worth of one traditional craft, Zimbabwean stone sculpture, in terms of its educational and employment values. The study was prompted by general attitudes that tend to equate "good" education with education that is modeled on Western industrial technology, whereas traditional education, which includes crafts…

About 100 years ago, steam and water power provided less than one-quarter of the energy needed for all production. Men and animals provided the rest. Today in the United States machines supply 98 percent of all power for industrial work. The technological change that has taken place in this time has been phenomenal and, undoubtedly, will be even…

Bloomsburg University staff surveyed 184 area vocational teachers in northeastern Pennsylvania about their knowledge needs in teaching handicapped students. Results from the 121 responses showed that teachers felt they needed more information: about the Carl D. Perkins Act, in coordinating the placement of handicapped learners with vocational…

A survey was taken of industrial arts students, parents, teachers, and administrators in Virginia to determine how they perceived secondary industrial arts programs and objectives. Researchers administered a questionnaire to a sample of 32 middle schools and 25 senior high schools over a spectrum of urban, suburban, and rural areas. A total of 883…

A study examined the way in which vocational and technical faculty and students perceive the effectiveness of French and Raven's five power bases. (To explain the way in which organizational control operates, French and Raven postulated the following five power bases: reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert power.) During the study,…