Lesson Development and Evaluation of “Learning Technological Governance through Reviewing Social Developing Process of Existing Products” in Technology Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a technology education lesson including the learning process to explore the interaction between technology and society considered through the development and diffusion of existing technology. “Learning technological governance through reviewing social developing process of existing products” focuses on the relationship between technology and society, technologies that have contributed to problem solving, the history of technology, and learning about technology evaluation. Learning activities were devised to analyze products which were created as a result of technological innovation. Students were asked to clarify social structures and problem-consciousness at the time when popular products or systems were developed. Lesson development took place using the electric assist bicycle as a theme. The lesson was presented to 120 junior high school students in two grades. Results indicated that students grasped the relationship between the demands of society and the development of technology. Perspectives and ways of thinking from other subjects (e.g., mathematics, science, and social studies) were applied to this learning activity. Students comprehended the tasks of defining problems and specifying the necessary requirements for technological problem solving.