An examination of the status of secondary school level biotechnology instruction within technology education programs in the United States

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the status of biotechnology in technology education programs in secondary schools in the United States. This involves the identification of schools in the United States currently offering instruction in biotechnology, the identification of the type of curriculum presently being taught in the biotechnology classroom, and a description of the type of learning environments being used. If biotechnology is being taught, what content is being emphasized and is the curriculum being taught the same from one program to the next.;Procedure. An initial survey instrument was mailed to state directors for technology education throughout the United States, asking them to identify teachers in their respective states who were currently teaching biotechnology using a directory of state supervisors/directors developed by the Oklahoma State Department for Technology Education. Returned surveys provided a list of teacher and addresses. Every teacher or school identified was placed in a database and considered to be the available population for this study. A stratified sample of 100 teachers from this list was sent a mail questionnaire. Returned data were analyzed statistically by frequency counts and chi-square for independence. Six research questions were answered.;Results. (1) Biotechnology is being taught in technology education programs. (2) Instructors differ in the content being taught. (3) Instructors differ in the approach to biotechnology instruction. (4) There is a difference in the amount of experience teaching. (5) There is a difference in the types of training and education teachers underwent to prepare themselves to teach biotechnology. (6) There are adequate resources available to teach biotechnology in technology programs. Educators and industrialists both perceive biotechnology as a technology that should be taught to society.;Conclusions. Biotechnology was found to exist as a content organizer for technology education. Instruction of biotechnology in technology is new and must undergo an adoption cycle that involves evaluation and modification before a standard system for teaching this technology can emerge. The biotechnology industry will continue to grow as more discoveries and products are brought to market and society understand the benefits from this technology.