Comparison of Principles of Technology and Traditional Physics Secondary Students' Scores on a Physics Examination.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate comparatively the performance of students enrolled in principles of technology and traditional physics classes in Alabama on a physics examination. The subjects included 226 students enrolled in the first year of the principles of technology course at eight pilot school systems in Alabama during the 1988 -89 year as well as 251 students enrolled in randomly selected, intact physics classes from the same school systems. Data were collected utilizing demographic questionnaires developed by the researcher and a physics examination developed by a jury of Auburn University physics professors. Six graduate assistants, including the researcher, administered the examination and the demographic questionnaires in the school systems. Data pertaining to the students' standardized scores were obtained from school counselors. The data were statistically analyzed by a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test and by a multivariate analysis of partial variance model. Results from the statistical analyses indicate that no significant difference in the two groups of students exist after adjustment for pre-existing differences and selected student and teacher variables. Significant interactions between course and both mathematics and science scores exists. While the physics students' scores were above the grand mean for both mathematics and science and the principles of technology students' scores were below the mean in both cases, the interactions indicate that the relationship between the scores on mathematics and science and course vary more than would be expected by chance for the two groups of students. The most significant conclusion was that the principles of technology course appears to be academically sound and may be the kind of course to successfully bridge the gap between academics and vocational education for a large segment of students.