Student perceptions of set inductions in technology education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of set inductions on student interest in the technology education field. A previous study on the characteristics of effective set inductions was conducted in a middle school science classroom. With that study as a foundation, this study was designed to determine the characteristics of set inductions that gather and hold students’ interest in a high school technology classroom. The hypothesis for this study is that student interest will increase from the use of set inductions in technology education. Set inductions are to an educational lesson what an introduction is to a public speech. A set induction introduces an educational lesson to the audience through a variety of techniques. A set’s purpose is to change mental gears, promote interest in the lesson, and inform the students of the expectations associated with the upcoming lesson. It may include a demonstration, a review of previously covered material, or an activity. Anticipatory sets are generally performed at the beginning of a class and typically last five to ten minutes. The study involves the presentation by the researcher of ten set inductions. The researcher developed each set according to the course topic, appropriateness to the course, and the timing of each performance. The subjects are students of a high school introductory technology course. Upon completion of each set, the student subjects were asked to respond to a questionnaire assessing their reaction to the set induction of the given topic.