What’s D&T For? Gathering and Comparing the Values of Design and Technology Academics and Trainee Teachers

Abstract

Some who read and research about Design & Technology (D&T) would say that the concept of value is key to understanding and defining D&T. Closer inspection reveals though that there are two ways in which values are defined in D&T: how values are taught and learnt about in D&T to use them to make judgments in D&T lessons, and also how values are developed in pupils as a result of studying D&T. Layton’s seminal keynote speech is the notable exception to these two classifications. In 1992 he shared a new perspective of values and D&T: how different stakeholders value the school subject D&T (1992a).

The work presented here builds on Layton’s ‘new’ perspective and compares how two D&T stakeholder groups value D&T. The opinions of trainee D&T teachers and D&T academics, both directly affected by these changes were analysed using a grounded theory coded method. This resulted in a series of twenty-two values that facilitated comparison of the two group’s values. Further analysis revealed there were many similarities between the two groups, and only a few differences. However these differences showed the trainees did not believe D&T can be about the process of designing or identifying the needs of others, both values central to the original purpose of D&T in England and recognised by the academics.

One implication for this, as schools take more ownership of teacher training, is that the value of D&T is likely to move further away from the D&T academics’ influence and be based upon the ‘spontaneous’ (Dow 2014, p.151) values developed through classroom practice with little reference to external opinion.

 Future work could widen the scope of the research, incorporating the values of other stakeholder groups into the values series and hence become a new tool to support the development of design and technology education, which hopefully will benefit others as they reflect on why they teach, research or use D&T.