DETERMINATION OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN COURSES IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Parallel to the overwhelming development of information and technology in today’sworld, changing work and living conditions have caused changes in the educational needs ofboth society and the individuals. This study aimed at determining the educational needs fortechnology and design courses of today’s students who grow with technology and the digitalworld. The participants in this study in which a mixed method was used were the 7th yearstudents studying in state secondary schools of TRNC (Turkish Republic of North Cyprus) inthe 2016-2017 academic year. In the qualitative dimension, the students were assigned towrite a composition and in the quantitative dimension, a needs analysis questionnaire wasimplemented. The data were analyzed through content analysis, arithmetic averages, andstandard deviation. The priority in this research was to determine the students’ expectationstowards technology and design course and according to these expectations, their educationalneeds were categorized. At the end of the research, the needs for technology and designcourse were determined in three different categories: general needs, needs for design, andneeds for information technologies.