Examining Pre-Service Engineering Technology Teacher Perceptions of Manufacturing

As the 4th industrial revolution permeates its way into the U.S. economy, so does an increase in demand for skilled workers in the manufacturing sector. However, Deloite's 2017 report titled "Manufacturing matters: The public's view of US manufacturing" suggests that although Americans value manufacturing as a strong economic sector, many Americans are reluctant to pursue manufacturing careers; specifically, one-third of the U.S. population would not encourage children to pursue a career in manufacturing. In addition, the literature suggests that very few high schools are using manufacturing curricula, for reasons commonly related to lack of money and resources. Furthermore, a review of university programs suggests that college-level teacher education students are not being exposed to the high demand for manufacturing workers, especially as a career choice for high school graduates. Considering K-12 teachers have a lot of potential for influencing students towards manufacturing [or away from manufacturing], there is a gap in addressing manufacturing awareness for pre-service teachers. This paper provides preliminary results from a qualitative study deploying participatory action research, with a focus on photo-voice and photo-elicitation. This study investigates pre-service engineering technology teacher perceptions of manufacturing and makes recommendations for increasing manufacturing awareness in K-12.