A study of the professional activities of distributive education teacher-coordinators in the intermountain area

Abstract

The purpose of the study was twofold: 1) To ascertain the proportion of time spent by distributive education teacher-coordinators in the intermountain area in performing the five major functions of the distributive education teacher-coordinator: Classroom Teaching, Coordination, Guidance, Public Relations, and Operations and Administration. 2) To ascertain the proportion of time spent by intermountain coordinators on specific tasks within each of the 5 major functions. The population for this study, was limited to certified teacher-coordinators in the states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The survey was conducted during April and May of 1973. The major conclusions reached were: 1) Intermountain coordinators spend 10% more time on the classroom teaching function than the national average of coordinators. 2) Consequently, intermountain coordinators spend less time on coordination, guidance, and operations and administration than coordinators do nationally. 3) The intermountain coordinators devote approximately 50% of their class period to lecture-discussion methods of instruction and 50% to individual and small group study. 4) Intermountain coordinators devote approximately half of their coordination time to visiting with the sponsor/employer and only 5% to visiting with student's parents. 5) Intermountain coordinators spend nearly half of their guidance time on students' work related problems. The other half is nearly equally divided between career guidance and students' personal problems. 6) A majority of the intermountain coordinators' public relations time is devoted to personal contact with individuals. 7) DECA activities account for more than half of the intermountain coordinators' operations and administrations time and approximately 5% of the coordinators' total school time.