Abstract
The education system in Israel is experiencing an overall effort to renew and expand science and technology education from early childhood through the end of high school, and is providing technology education to all pupils. The new comprehensive educational approach of "Science, Technology, and Society" differs significantly from traditional concept of vocational education geared towards low achievers. To ascertain pupils' readiness to accept the reform, their current perceptions of the essence, prestige, and necessity of technological education were measured. An attitude questionnaire was administered to a sample of 606 ninth-grade pupils representing Israel's heterogeneous society in outlying areas. Most pupils associate technology education with computers, electronics, and science, and not with crafts or vocational education. The majority think that technology education is necessary for everyone. Locality, nationality (Jewish, Arab, or Druze), and degree of religious observance affect pupils' attitudes, whereas only few differences were found for gender, family size, and fathers' country of origin. Technology education holds the key for bridging the educational and occupational gaps between different socioeconomic or ethnic groups, and for preparing the pupils for tomorrow's world.
Original language | Hebrew |
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Pages (from-to) | 111-141 |
Number of pages | 31 |
Journal | עיונים בחינוך: כתב עת לעיון ומחקר בחינוך |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - 1998 |