title: The Description of Teaching Competencies by Selected Secondary Utah Business Teachers
Creators: name: Gruber, James L.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 1977

description: The problem was that teaching competencies had been developed but these competencies had not been tested to determine if different competencies were needed for business teachers of skill and basic business subjects.
The purpose was to determine teaching competencies which are important to and utilized by selected Utah high school business teachers.
The major hypothesis tested was that there would be no differences between the comparative responses of selected teachers when analyzing the importance and frequency of use of items in the fourteen teaching skill areas as related to basic business and skill subjects.
The population involved in the study consisted of high school business education teachers in Utah who taught in grade levels 10, II, and 12. Two questionnaires were used for the study. Teaching Questionnaire was designed to gather information regarding the teaching of shorthand and transcription, typewriting, off ice machines, office practice, and notehand. Teaching Questionnaire II was designed to gather information regarding the teaching of accounting, economics, business law, taxes, credit, and business organization.
The null hypothesis was tested by the "t" test. The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to measure the relationship between the responses of the selected teachers to each statement on Teaching Questionnaire I and Teaching Questionnaire II. The .05 level of significance was the criterion for rejecting or failing to reject the null hypothesis. A critical value of .344 which represented the .05 level of significance for the Pearson (r), was used to determine significant correlations.
The following findings were reported:
The following competency statements were found to have a significant difference favoring the teaching methodology of basic business classes: Involve students in large and small group work; use field trips, guest speakers and special materials as instructional tools, contract for grades; and use wall charts, flow charts, and unit outlines to clarify student perceptions.
The following competency statements were found to have a significant difference favoring the teaching methodology of skill classes: Use the student's interests as a means of helping the student develop self-growth; use repetition of learning concepts; encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities as they pertain to the course work; use positive reinforcement in class activities.
Additional findings may be found in the dissertation.
The major recommendations were:
1. The following competencies shou ld be particularly empha s ized in
methods classes for pre-service and in-service teachers of basic business classes: involve students in small and large group work; coordinate field trips and establish a reference list of guest speakers and special materials; prepare wall charts, flow charts, and unit outlines; and formulate a philosophy and plan for contracting for grades.
2. The following competencies should be particularly emphasized in methods classes for pre-service and in-service teachers of skill classes: recognize, record, and utilize student interests as a means of student self-growth; use repetition as a means of l earning concepts; involve students in Future Business Leaders of America or Office Education Association clubs (implement a club if none exist) and relate those club activities to courses of study; understand the concepts of positive reinforcement, behavior modification techniques, and how these activities can be utilized in the class room.
3. Pre-service business education students should be required to teach basic business as well as skill subjects during their student teaching experience or practicum.