A Delphi Study to Identify Recommended Biotechnology Competencies for First-Year/Initially Certified Technology Education Teachers
Author: Scott, Donald G.
Date: 2006-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Delphi Technique,Biotechnology,Technology Education,Beginning Teachers,Competency Based Teacher Education,Secondary School Teachers,Biology,Information Science,Knowledge Base for Teaching

The world is a dynamic environment driven by technology that challenges each individual in a unique way. No longer is the ability to read and write sufficient because technological change affects nearly every aspect of one's life from &quot;enabling citizens to perform routine tasks to requiring that they are able to make responsible, informed decisions that affect individuals, our society, and the environment&quot; (International Technology Education Association [ITEA], 2003, p. 1). As a result of these technological developments, a challenge to all classroom teachers is to meet the needs of a diverse K-12 learning population. Technology education (TE) teachers in particular have been challenged to prepare students for life in a society dominated and driven by technology. To strengthen and ensure the future vitality of the United States' human resources and biotechnological enterprises, educators and professionals in the field of biotechnology must work together to develop competencies that meet students' needs (California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology, 2001). To meet these challenges, technology stakeholders have collaborated to develop a variety of technology literacy standards and teaching methods. In particular, the ITEA published &quot;Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology&quot; (&quot;STL&quot;) (ITEA, 2000). This document established a definition of technology, technological literacy, and the content standards needed for K-12 classrooms. The ITEA publication also established content benchmarks for the core areas of technology. One of the core technology content areas addressed by the &quot;STL&quot; is biotechnology. The &quot;STL&quot; Standard 15 states that &quot;students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use agricultural and related biotechnologies&quot; (ITEA, 2000, p. 149). This standard proposed that secondary (grades 9-12) students should be able to study the effects of waste and pollutants, discuss the need for government regulations, and conduct research and present their findings on the positive and negative effects of a process, product, or system in the field of biotechnology. The STL Standard 15 (ITEA, 2000) also established benchmarks (written statements that describe the specific developmental components by various grade levels that students should know or be able to do in order to achieve a standard) for biotechnology. The Council on Technology Teacher Education (CTTE) Undergraduate Studies Committee also recognized there was a need to identify and establish technical competencies for technology teacher education programs. At the 2003 ITEA conference, the CTTE identified their goals for 2003-2004. As a result, this research was conducted as a CTTE charge to identify, develop, and validate a list of critical biotechnology competencies. The problem driving this study was the lack of recognized and validated biotechnology competencies to be included in technology teacher education programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify, develop, and validate the critical biotechnology competencies that should be acquired by first-year/initially certified secondary TE teachers to enable them to include selected biotechnology content in their classrooms (grades 9-12) in alignment with ITEA Standard 15 (ITEA, 2000).