PERCEPTIONS OF AEROSPACE EDUCATION AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

This study was conducted to determine what influence, if any, aerospace education workshops have on the way elementary teachers use aerospace education and aerospace related concepts in their classrooms.;Responses to items on the Aerospace Education Utilization Survey were used to test the following hypotheses: (1) There is no difference at the .05 level in the responses to the survey of those teachers who did and did not participate in an aerospace education workshop. (2) There is no difference at the .05 level in the responses on perceptions toward utilization, inclusion, relevance, need for workshops, and competence. (3) There is no interaction between group membership and perception factors.;Based on analysis of the data, it was concluded that both groups were statistically equal in years of experience and grade level taught, but significantly different in educational level, with the workshop group holding more advanced degrees. Teachers in the workshop group were found to be significantly more positive in perception toward aerospace education. Group membership was found to have an effect on responses to perception factors. Each of the null hypotheses was rejected.;Recommendations were that: (1) Information regarding aerospace education workshops be made readily available to elementary teachers. (2) In-service programs be offered to introduce elementary teachers to the use of aerospace education. (3) A study be conducted to determine the feasibility of formally incorporating aerospace education into the existing elementary curriculum. (4) A study be conducted to determine the effect that using aerospace education units/activities has on student achievement and motivation.;One hundred subjects were randomly selected from among K-6 teachers in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools for the non-workshop group. The names of sixty-four subjects for the workshop group were obtained from a list of elementary teachers attending an aerospace education workshop at Middle Tennessee State University within the past ten years. All of those on this list who were teachers in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools were included in the study.