Assessing second phase high school learners’ attitudes towards technology in addressing the technological skills shortage in the South African context

Abstract

This article argues the case that the decline in the numbers of school leavers entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics study courses worldwide and in South Africa in particular, is linked to negative attitudes towards Technology. The issue is regarded as critical since a negative trend in new entrants into the technology sector contributes to the technological skills shortage experienced locally and abroad. The purpose of the research was to determine learners’ perception of the concept of technology in general; their current attitude-status on seven dimensions of attitude towards technology; and factors that affect attitude. To this effect the article reports on the results of a technology perceptions-and-attitudes survey (derived from the PATT-US attitude-questionnaire) conducted on 95 Grade 10-to-12 learners during the 2009 National Science Week initiative held in the Northwest Province of South Africa. The initiative was hosted to promote science and technology awareness amongst the school going youth of the Northwest Province. The Grade 10-to-12 group included in the research represented future school leavers in the Northwest Province who would possibly consider entering into a technological career. The results of the study indicated that age, gender and grade-level of learners presented as factors that statistically significantly affected attitudes towards and perceptions of technology. The findings of the study raised the question whether the various dimensions of attitudes measured in the study influence learners’ choice of a career in technology in different ways.