EVALUATION OF COMPETENCY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN CHILD CARE AND GUIDANC

The primary purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a competency-based education program in Child Care and Guidance at Kettering High School of the Detroit Public School System.;The study was confined to school leavers from Kettering High School who were: (1) enrolled in the 1979-81 class of CBE instruction in Child Care and Guidance, and (2) enrolled 1977-79, prior to design of CBE materials: and past, present, and potential employers of CBE and non-CBE employees.;The methodology employed in the three phases of the study included: (1) design and or modify competencies, performance objectives, and objective-referenced test items and developed teaching strategies, materials and daily lessons of instructions; (2) implementation focused on field-testing the CBE Program and included the revisions and recommendations drawn from a self-critique of daily lessons; (3) evaluation concentrated on determining the adequacy of student's training and preparation for entry-level jobs.;Formative and summative instruments were designed, selected, and used with 25 CBE school leavers, 25 non-CBE school leavers and 50 past, present or potential employers of CBE and non-CBE employees, in a face-to-face survey.;Major findings of the study included: (1) Forty percent of the CBE school leavers and 20 percent of the non-CBE school leavers held jobs as Child Care Aides; (2) of the twenty-seven TPO's rated as "important" and "used" by employers and employees in the CPO Survey, data obtained from the OREO's (Employers/Employee Interview Instrument) revealed that only fourteen TPO's were actually being utilized; (3) Language Arts, reading, organizing, writing, and planning skills were the other skills considered important by employers. Pleasant attitudes and good work habits were top priority among the attitudes listed as being important; (4) Employers interviewed in this study indicated that ten technical skills were needed for entry-level employment. These ten technical skills are all subsumed under the six basic competencies.