Abstract:
The aim of this research is to establish which aspects influence students’ successful learning of design skills through contextually integrated learning support material for the design and technology education programme at the University of Pretoria. The purpose of the research is threefold: • The first aim is to investigate the extent to which the electronic tutorial, Design in Action (hereafter referred to as “the tutorial”) contributes to students’ (novice designers) design theory in a technological context i.e. to indicate whether the level of sophistication of the exemplary graphics and explanatory text is suited to the context. • The second aim is to establish the levels of learning achieved by learners as a result of the intervention using Design in Action in order to indicate the adequacy of the learning support material in achieving the learning outcomes of the unit. • The third aim is to establish possible improvements for the tutorial to increase its effectiveness in terms of curriculum, media&technology, learning&instruction and teacher education&didactics (Van den Akker, 1999). The findings of this preliminary study will be used in broader studies focused on the design and development of contextually integrated learning support material for design and technology education students. This research is a qualitative case study, including the evaluation of levels of learning of first year pre-service design and technology students, conducted in the interpretative paradigm, within the theoretical frame of socially responsible research (Reeves, 2000). The evaluation of the levels of learning was based on a model designed by Kirkpatrick (Kirkpatrick, 1994). The model delineates four levels of instruction (training) outcomes: reaction, learning, behaviour, and results.
