Abstracts Category : Other

Navigating Uncertainty in Automotive Technology Instruction:The Subjective Experiences of Automotive Instructors DuringLaboratory Activities

by John Martin Porter

Educational researchers have conducted very fewstudies on the subjective experiences of both trained andself-taught auto mechanics (Barber, 2003, 2004; Nelsen, 1997,2010). Further, no present studies explore the subjectiveexperience of the automotive instructor as he or she experiencesuncertainty in the automotive lab. This study addresses a gap inthe current literature on career/technical instructor development.For this study, data were gathered by video recording automotivelaboratory activities at three Midwestern automotive programs.Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) interviews were conducted withautomotive instructors as they observed themselves navigating thelab environment. Data from the IPR interviews were analyzed usingemergent thematic analysis. The research revealed that mostinstructors in this study were aware, after reflection, of thereasoning behind many of the intuitive and improvisationalbehaviors, and had an awareness of the nuances of skill assessmentthe importance of modeling behavior. This study also identifiedtransfer of artistry as a concept of advanced skill attainment inautomotive subjects. Transfer of artistry is the result of aninstructors ability to manage several paradigms of the laboratoryexperience at once, to create the appropriate conditions for astudent to develop the cognitive, spatial, and tactile skillsnecessary for performing advanced automotive diagnostics andrepair. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA:Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/Advisors/Committee Members: Wergin, Jon (Committee Chair).