Date of Award
2002
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Rene Villa
Keywords
applied academics, associate of science degree, assignments, Automotive Service Management Technology, college administration, computer applications, cross-disciplinary instruction, curriculum, educational outcomes, English composition, faculty, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, general education, grades, higher education, liberal arts students, mathematics, pass rates, physics, program evaluation, relevance, sample size, social sciences, statistical analysis, student achievement, technical education, Test of Equality of Means, traditional instruction, two-year colleges
Abstract
Traditionally, students enrolled in two-year Automotive Service Management Technology degree programs, had a difficult time succeeding in required general education courses, especially math, English composition, and physics. They enrolled in classes open to the general student population but found that the material had little meaning or relevance to their chosen field of study. According to college records, the pass rate was less than the norm for liberal arts students. Because of this, faculty and staff decided that class material needed to be presented through applied academics. The new curriculum demonstrated the relevance of subject matter in general education classes to the technical classes in which students were registered. Assignments, class work, and exams were designed to be cross-discipline. What was presented in an English composition class could be applied in a brakes class. What was covered in a transmission class could be part of an assignment in a physics class. It was assumed by college administration that students who saw the relevance between general education classes and their technical classes would do better in both. A higher pass rate was advantageous to the student and to the institution.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of applied academics on associate of science degree students in Automotive Service Management Technology. Two groups of students were included in the study. These included automotive students participating in applied academics courses in English composition as compared to those enrolled who had been enrolled in traditional English composition courses over a two year period prior to the introduction of applied academics.
There was one research hypothesis in this study; there is a significant difference in final English composition course grades for associate of science degree students in the Automotive Service Management Technology program in English composition courses when applied academics is used than for those who take English composition courses without applied academics at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.
A comparison was made of the grades achieved by students who participated in English courses in which applied academics were used and those classes in which applied academics were not used. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Both groups of students performed equally well. Applying the Test of Equality of Means, it was found the t = .085 and df= 29. Since the level of significance was greater than .05, the null hypothesis was not rejected.
It was concluded that there was no significant difference in the results between the two groups of students. These results differed from the conclusions of experts in the field who have used applied academics in the classroom and found it to be very successful.
It was recommended that a re-examination of the applied academics program be conducted at Florida Community College at Jacksonville using a larger sample size. The analysis should be extended to all general education courses included in the degree program for automotive service management technology students, including mathematics, physics, social sciences, and computer applications.