workplace skills and the skills gaps related to employee critical thinking ability and science ...

339 Pages·2004·1.98 MB·English

by  William Alexander

WORKPLACE SKILLS AND THE SKILLS GAPS
RELATED TO EMPLOYEE CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY
AND SCIENCE EDUCATION CURRICULUM

DISSERTATION

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate

School of The Ohio State University

By

William A. Alexander, B.S., M. Ed.

*****

The Ohio State University
2004

Dissertation Committee:
Approved by
Professor Arthur White, Advisor

Professor David Haury
_____________________________
Professor Olli Tuovinen Advisor
College of Education
ABSTRACT

In recent years, business and industry have been vocal critics of education.
Critics complain the American workforce, particularly young people, are deficient in
workplace skills.
A survey of 500 randomly selected Ohio businesses was used to determine
opinions of respondents related to workplace skills gaps, rising skill levels, and level and
type of critical thinking used on the job by all employees and entry-level employees.
Four of 18 science outcomes promoted by the Ohio Department of Education had an
application in business and these required critical-thinking skills to complete. These four
formed the foundation in the survey because they provided a connection between thinking
skills required on the Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test and those required on the job.
Pearson correlation coefficient was used to identify correlation between responses.
The alpha level was p < .05. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was conducted
to identify significant (p < .05) relationships between variables as represented by
responses. In addition, one version of the Science Section of the Ohio 12th Grade
Proficiency Test was analyzed for use of critical thinking using the SCAN’s critical-
thinking attributes as a standard.
II
There were several findings related to workplace skills and critical thinking. Only
17.1% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with the basic academic skill level of their
employees. A majority (71.1%) of responding businesses perceived a lack of work ethic
as more important than deficient academic skills. Only 17.1% of respondents reported
the skill level of their entry-level employees was rising. Approximately 1/3 of responding
businesses required no critical thinking at all from their entry-level employees. Small
businesses were significantly more likely to require higher levels of critical thinking from
their entry level employees than larger businesses. Employers who reported rising skill
levels in entry-level employees required all of their employees to exhibit critical thinking
similar to that required on the four tested outcomes on the Science Section, Ohio 12th
Grade Proficiency Test.

III
Dedicated to the memory of my father and mother, both Ohio State graduates

IV
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank my advisor, Arthur White, for his patience and support throughout
the process of writing this dissertation. His insightful suggestions and encouragement
were of immeasurable help in the completion of this project.
I thank David Haury for providing the foundation of this dissertation from his
early seminars.
I thank Olli Tuovinen for his constant support from my beginning coursework
through to the successful completion of the dissertation defense.
I am grateful to Janet and Charles Tarino for their early guidance and assistance in
designing and testing the survey.
I thank my sons and daughters-in-law, Jason and Cathy Alexander and Joshua and
Allison Alexander, for their encouragement and help through a number of computer
problems.
I also wish to thank my wife, Betsy, whose constant support and encouragement
were of the greatest value to the completion of this dissertation.
V
VITA

March 6, 1947……………………………Born – Akron, Ohio
1975…………………………………...…M.Ed. Education Administration,
Bowling Green State University
1969………………………………………B.S. Biology, Heidelberg College
1993 - 2000………………………………Senior Lab Supervisor, The Ohio State
University - Mansfield

2000 – present……………………………Science Teacher, Mansfield City Schools,
Mansfield, Ohio

FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: Education

VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii
Dedication………………………………………………………………………………...iv
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………v
Vita………………………………………………………………………………………..vi
List of Tables…………………………………………………………...…………………x
List of Figures…………………………………………………………...………………xiii

Chapters:

1. Introduction…………………………………………….…………………………1

1.1 Background of the study………………………………………………………1
1.2 Need for the study……………………………………………………………..6
1.3 Purposes and objectives…...…..………………………………………………6
1.4 Statement of the problem...……………………………………………………7
1.4.1 Descriptive questions………………………………………………..7
1.4.2 Quantitative questions……………………………………………….8
1.5 Assumptions………...…………………………………………………………8
1.6 Delimitations……………..……………………………………………………9
1.7 Limitations...…………………………………………………………………..9
1.8 Descriptive tasks………………………...……………………………...……10
1.9 Research hypotheses………..………………………………………………..10
1.10 Summary……………………………………………………………………11

2. Review of the Literature…………………………..…….……………………….13

2.1 The new economy…………..………………………………………………..13
2.2 The traditional management style……………………..……………………..15
2.3 Competition goes global…………….……………………………………….21
2.4 The new management style and the new workplace……..…………………..24
2.5 Skills employers say they need………………………...………………...…..31
2.6 ASTD Report……………………………...…………………………………32
2.6.1 Learning to learn……………………………...……………………34
2.6.2 Competence: Reading, writing, and computation………………….35
2.6.3 Communication: Listening and oral communication…………...….36
2.6.4 Personal management: Self-esteem, goal setting, motivation,
personal/career development…………………………………………….37
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2.6.5 Group effectiveness: Interpersonal skills, negotiation and
teamwork………………………………………………………………...38
2.6.6 Influence: Organizational effectiveness and leadership………..….40
2.6.7 Adaptability: Creativity and problem solving…………………..…40
2.7 SCANS Report………………...………………………………………….....42
2.8 Knowledge and Know-how: Meeting Ohio’s Skill Gap Challenge……….....57
2.9 Too many high skill workers?...............…………………..………...……….76
2.10 Critical thinking……………………………………………………….……82
2.10.1 Definition…………………………………………………………82
2.10.2 Tests for Measuring Critical Thinking……………………………96
2.10.3 Critical Thinking and the Classroom……………………………114
2.11 Connection between the workplace, critical thinking, and science
education………………………………………………………………………..134
2.12 The Ohio Twelfth Grade Proficiency Test……….……...….……………..138
2.12.1 Learning Outcomes……………………………………………...139
2.12.2 Science Areas……………………………………………………141
2.13 Summary…………………………………………………………………..149

3. Methods and Procedures………………………………...…………….………..151

3.1 Population………………………………………………..………………....151
3.2 Sample………………………………………………..………………….….151
3.3 Instruments………………………….………………….……………….…..152
3.3.1 Employer questionnaire…………………...……………………...152
3.3.2 Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test…………………………………157
3.4 Data collection procedures……….…………………..…………………......158
3.4.1 Employer questionnaire………………………………..………….158
3.4.2 Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test…………………………………158
3.5 Data analysis procedures………………………………………..…………..159
3.5.1 Data coding…………………………………....…………….……159
3.5.2 Inferential analysis………………...………………..………….....159

4. Results…………………….…………….………………………………… …..161

4.1 Employer survey…………………………………….……………………...161
4.2 Respondent demographics…………………….……………………………162
4.3 Skill levels and critical thinking……………………………………………166
4.4 Significant correlations…….……………………………………….………170
4.5 Multiple regression analysis for predicting business characteristics……….181
4.6 Analysis of the science section of one version of the Ohio12th grade
proficiency test…………………………………………………………………192

4.7 Tests of hypotheses…………………………..……………………………..198
4.7.1 Hypothesis 1………………………………………………………198
4.7.2 Hypothesis 2………………………………………………………199
VIII
4.7.3 Hypothesis 3………………………………………………………199
4.7.4 Hypothesis 4………………………………………………………199
4.7.5 Hypothesis 5………………………………………………………200
4.7.6 Hypothesis 6………………………………………………………200
4.7.7 Hypothesis 7………………………………………………………200
4.8 Summary of findings…………..…………………………………………....201
4.8.1 Workplace skills – skills gaps………………………………….....201
4.8.2 Critical thinking………………….……………………………....202
4.8.3 Science Section Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test………………203
4.8.4 Characteristics of sample respondents……………………………203

5. Summary, conclusions, and recommendations………………..……………..…205

5.1 Summary………………………………………..…………………………..205
5.2 Findings, conclusions, and comparison with previous studies……………..206
5.2.1 Adoption of the high performance workplace………..…………..206
5.2.2 Employee skills gap……………….…………….………………..208
5.2.3 Skill levels and critical thinking……….……………….…...……211
5.2.4 Correlation analyses………..…....………………………………..214
5.2.5 Multiple regression analyses……..…….…………………………217
5.3 Answers to major research questions…………………..…………………...223
5.4 Recommendations…..………..……………………………………………..227
5.5 Future research……..……………………………………………………….228
References………………….…………………………………………………...231
Appendices……….……………………………………………………………..245

Appendix A: Interview with a high performance workplace using
the new management style……………………………………………….…….245
Appendix B: Survey data……………………………...…………………..…....254
Appendix C: Survey………………………………..…………………………...267
Appendix D: Analysis of one version of the science section of the
12th grade proficiency test for the five SCANS critical thinking attributes…….272
Appendix E: Table of correlation coefficients……………..…………………...286
Appendix F: Means and standard deviations…………………………..……….294
Appendix G: Science section Ohio 12th grade proficiency test……..…....…….296
Appendix H: List of acronyms………………………………………...………..325
IX
LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Workforce skills demonstrated by students in the classroom………………..…..4
2 Characteristics of today’s and tomorrow’s workplaces……………………….…28
3 Workplace competencies: Effective workers can productively use.……………..43
4 Foundation skills required for employee success in the new economy………….44
5 Competencies needed across the board…………………………………………..51
6 Competencies based on proficiency level.…………………………………...…. 53
7 Manufacturing know-how: Level of competence expected for entry
on a career ladder………………………………………………………..……....54
8 Skill areas for entry level positions………………………………………………58
9 Skill selection process…………………………………………………………....60
10 Comparison of job skills of lowest and highest skill levels
(Level 3 and Level 7)………………………………………………………........61
11 Ohio assessment results………………………………………………………….64
12 Requirements for the applied mathematics skill in specific occupations……..... 65
13 Requirements for the reading for information skill in specific occupations…… 67
14 Requirements for the applied technology skill in specific occupations…………69
15 Requirements for the locating information skill in specific occupations………..71
16 Proportion of Ohio students who meet or exceed the skill
requirements for 80% of the profiled jobs…………...………………..………...73

X