ERIC Number: ED354021
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 29
Abstractor: N/A
Reference Count: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
Improving Math Literacy for the Facilities Maintenance Industry: A Multimedia Approach.
Ziegler, John; Taylor, Don
Texas State Technical College in Waco (TSTCW) entered into a partnership with ServiceMaster, one of the largest maintenance companies in the world, to develop a contextual-based videodisc curriculum for facility maintenance workers intended to increase math literacy. TSTCW developed a task analysis, a curriculum, and evaluation measures for the training of facilities maintenance workers in math concepts, from which a workbook and scripting activities for the videodisc were developed. Thirty physical plant employees volunteered for the training, and were divided into three skill levels determined by an assessment test: Level 1, grades zero through four; Level 2, grades five through eight; and Level 3, grades nine and above. After establishing a pretest score, each participant received training from the videodisc, as well as reinforcement exercises from the workbook assignments. The average program completion time was 60 hours, while Level 3 participants completed the training much more quickly than the Level 1 group, . Pretest and posttest scores indicated that most participants' scores increased following program completion, with Levels 1 and 2 showing the most significant changes. The Level 1 group averaged a 27-point increase in number operations and an 18-point increase in problem solving, while the Level 2 group averaged a 28-point increase in number operations and a 5-point increase in problem solving. No significant performance differences were found based on gender or age. A review of the literature, a selected bibliography, extensive demographic information and detailed data tables are included. (MAB)
Descriptors: Adult Students, Basic Skills, Community Colleges, Inplant Programs, Inservice Education, Labor Education, Mathematics Education, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Materials, Mathematics Skills, Postsecondary Education, Program Descriptions, Remedial Mathematics, School Business Relationship, Technical Institutes, Two Year Colleges, Videodisks, Workplace Literacy
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Texas State Technical Coll., Waco.
Identifiers: ServiceMaster; Texas State Technical College Waco


