Opinions of instructors and students concerning the social studies program at the lower certificate level of the institute of technology and vocational education
Abstract:
Purpose The purposes of this research were to study the opinions of Instructors and students concerning the social studies program at the lower certificate level of The Institute of Technology and Vocational Education, and to find out some suggestions for effectively improving the social studies program at this level. Procedures Two sets of questionnaires constructed by the researcher were administered to 18 instructors and 360 students of The Institute of Technology and Vocational Education in the central part of Thailand selected by stratifies random sampling. The obtained data were analyzed by percentage, means, standard deviation, and presented in tables with explanation. Conclusions 1.Opinions Concerning Objectives of The Social Studies Instruction: The instructors thought that the accordance of the objectives of the social studies instruction they set with that set by the Ministry of Education was high while the students opined that it was moderate. 2. Opinions Concerning Content of The Social Studies: The instructors agreed with the students that most subjects of the social studies were moderate useful for daily life except Civics and Ethics which the instructors favored as more useful. 3. Opinions Concerning The Instruction of The Social Studies: The instructors agreed with the students that lecture method, research and report technique and map skill activities were mostly used while utilizing of resource person, and field-trip was at the least. 4. Opinions Concerning Social Studies Curriculum Administration: The instructors thought that the participation from the campus committee and the subject area specialists were low while the instructors, heads of departments, chairman of academic affairs and director of the institute moderately participated. The cooperation among campuses and student participation in curriculum development were low. 5. Opinions Concerning Measurement and Evaluation of The Social Studies Instruction: The instructors agreed with the students that the application of written teacher-made test was high, and the test items mostly used were objective item. The standardized tests were rarely initiated by the department concerned.