Two Methods of Implementing a Home Economics Competency‐Based Education Course

Abstract

Two strategies for implementing a competency‐based course in home economics education were compared. Sixty‐three senior students were alternately assigned to a teacher‐directed or student‐directed class for attainment of specified competencies. Nine modules were developed to be used in the student‐directed class and as the basis for instruc tion in the teacher‐directed class. Criterion tests measured the extent to which compe tencies were attained for each group, and a Likert‐type scale indicated students' attitudes toward competency‐based education. Data were also analyzed to determine if student teach ing affected achievement of competencies. No significant difference in gain scores appeared between students who achieved com petencies through the student‐directed and teacher‐directed methods except in the competency area of program planning involving state standards. Significantly higher gain scores were attained by students who took the course before student teaching as opposed to those who took the course after student teaching in the competency areas of personal man agement, teaching skills, and motivation. No significant differences were found in gain scores between students who took the course before and after student teaching in the com petency areas of evaluation, departmental management, unit planning, program stan dards, or professionalism. No significant difference was found in attitude scores between individuals in the student‐directed and teacher‐directed sections.

Relationship Between Individual Variables and Students' Selection and Performance in Competency‐ Based Education

“…When all competencies were considered, students in the teacher-directed group gained significantly more in the cognitive area than those in the student-directed modular group. Previous research findings (Bell and Cummings, 1976;Bell, Cummings, and Botkin, 1977) indicated no statistically significant differences in cognitive achievements of students involved in student-directed and teacher-directed groups in competency-based instruction. However, previous research at Texas Tech University involving implementation of competency-based instruction had been restricted to less than 100 students in senior-level home economics education courses, whereas this research involved far more students in all home economics education sequence courses at junior and senior levels.…”

“…Selection and Distribution of Competencies Competencies used for this study were selected from among those identified by a Texas Education Agency project (1976) as important for beginning home economics teachers. Individualized modules, valid and reliable cognitive criterion tests, and Likert-type attitude scales had been developed for identified competencies in previous research (Bell and Cummings, 1976;Bell, Cummings, and Botkin, 1977) at Texas Tech University.…”

“…The lack of concentrated evidence in this area stimulated the researchers to explore the interrelationship between specific individual variables and student selection, and cognitive and affective growth under two distinctly different approaches to teaching. Previous research (Bell and Cummings, 1976) conducted on competency-based teacher education in the Department of Home Economics Education at Texas, Tech University provided evidence that students' cognitive and affective changes in a senior-level home economics education course were not differentially affected by the method of instruction employed. Both teacher-directed and studentdirected modular approaches had been used and well accepted by the students in a wide variety of teacher education competency areas.…”

College and career competency needs assessment of home economics strand students: Basis for Career Guidance Program

“…These studies offer insightful information about the skills needed to succeed. When Bell [2] contrasted student-directed and teacher-directed approaches to competency attainment, she discovered there needed more variation in most cases. It implies that both strategies may work, but more investigation is required to identify the best action.…”

Food and nutrition competencies needed by older adolescents for personal and family living

“…According to Dodl (1973) however, the term "competency" is not new but has been used by special educators since the early fifties. CBE gained popularity in the late sixties as a result of public demand for accountability in instructional education (Bell and Cummings, 1976). Some other factors, especially in teacher education (Hall and Jones, 1976, p. 2) A composite model must be utilized, because depending on the discipline being investigated, one approach may be more rewarding than another.…”