ERIC Number: EJ1067730
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 35
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1045-1064
EISSN: N/A
A Century of Professional Organization Influence: Findings from Content Analyses of MVTTEC Annual Meetings
Wells, John
Journal of Technology Education, v26 n3 p3-37 Sum 2015
Investigating the content presented at annual national conferences is regarded by many as a valid means for revealing patterns within a given professional organization concerning their interests, issues, concerns, priorities, and research foci, which collectively present an opportunity to provide future direction for the organization. As a result, scholars across many different disciplines have conducted such investigations in an attempt to gain insights into their professional organizations (e.g., Berryman, 1982; Conger, 1997; Fetro & Droplet, 1991; Kiehn & Kimball, 2008; Price & Orman, 2001) and provide guidance based on the resultant patterns. Findings from such analyses of conference content are instrumental in documenting patterns relative to past trends within the field, organizational alignment with larger national trends, and using them to suggest future directions for professional organizations. In the field of technology and engineering education, the Mississippi Valley Technology Teacher Education Conference, today referred to simply as the Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) is the oldest continuous conference with an entire century of content available for analysis. The MVC marked its 100th meeting in the fall of 2013, presenting not only a significant historical milestone but also a unique opportunity for investigating the extent to which this individual conference may have influenced the profession as a whole. This paper takes advantage of this opportunity by presenting an analysis of 100 years of discussion topics as a means for understanding the significance of the past century of meetings and to offer organizational insights that may prove valuable in guiding future directions for both conference and profession writ large.
Descriptors: Professional Associations, Conferences (Gatherings), Conference Papers, Content Analysis, Scholarship, Technology Education, Engineering Education, Educational History, Educational Trends, Trend Analysis, Teacher Education, Teaching Methods, Educational Policy, Epistemology, STEM Education, Educational Objectives, Theory Practice Relationship, Alignment (Education), Progressive Education, Educational Change, Excellence in Education, Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Journal of Technology Education. Web site: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A