Developing technology education : in search of curriculum elements for Finnish general education schools

Abstract

Monien teknologisen elämäntavan valinneiden maiden yleissivistävissä kouluissa on viime vuosina aloitettu teknologiakasvatus. Myös suomalaisen peruskoulun ja lukion opetussuunnitelmien perusteiden (1994) mukaan teknologia on osa yleissivistystä. Asiakirjat eivät kuitenkaan määrittele, mitä teknologinen yleissivistys on, eivätkä anna operationaalisia ohjeita sen järjestämiseksi. Teknologiakasvatuksen opetussuunnitelman uudistamista on pohdittu paljon myös julkisuudessa. Samalla on tullut esiin teollisuuden ja työnantajien huoli teknologiakasvatuksen opiskelusta (tai paremminkin opiskelemattomuudesta) Suomen kouluissa. Aki Rasisen vastaväittäjä professori William E. Dugger Jr. käytti vastikään puheenvuoron teknologiakasvatuksen seminaarissa Helsingissä. Rasinen on kolmas Jyväskylän yliopiston kasvatustieteiden tiedekunnassa vuonna 1992 aloitetun teknologiakasvatusprojektin väittelijöistä.

A human being in the modern world deals with technology daily. Many countries have initiated technology education in their general education schools in the past years. According to two national curriculum documents in Finland technology is part of general education. These documents do not, however, define what is meant by technological general education, nor do they give operational instructions on how it should be organized in comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools. The main purposes of this study were to 1) Study the concepts of technology and technology education and 2) Seek for curriculum elements for the development of technology education in Finnish general education schools. The definitions of the concepts were formulated on the basis of both previously published literature and the present empirical findings. The materials for the curricula of our country were identified through the systematic analysis of the technology education curricula of Australia, England, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States, and through a structured (and open) survey questionnaire directed at representatives of Finnish universities and polytechnics of technology and at representatives of trade and industry involved with technology. The approach to technology education was explored from the point of view of attainment targets, study methods, and study contents. The results of the analysis of the curricula of the six countries and the survey findings on Finnish experts in the field were compared and the shared elements combined in a table which represents the present view of the elements of technology education curriculum. This study defines technology as mainly a combination of handicrafts, applied sciences, and information technology. Technology education deals with the study of the interaction between technology and society, the balance between technology and the environment, basic technical know-how, practical skills, and entrepreneurship. All of this should be studied by applying various methods. The findings support the view that technology should be part of general education for all students from kindergarten to upper secondary and even beyond. The findings of the study can be used to develop the technology education curriculum at different levels of planning, including daily planning and teaching.