A Study of Mathematics Needed for Dental Laboratory Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Respiratory Therapy.

N

16

Allied Health Occupations; Allied Health Occupations Education; Basic Skills; Dental Technicians; Educational Research; Mathematics Curriculum; Medical Technologists; Postsecondary Education; Surveys; Technical Mathematics

A study was conducted to determine what mathematics skills were needed for Dental Laboratory Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Respiratory Therapy. Data obtained from studies, course outlines, textbooks, and reports were used to construct a 79-item mathematics skill questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered to employers, employees, technical instructors, licensing bodies, and mathematics instructors, who indicated skills considered important. The information was then rank ordered. Findings were that a wide range of mathematics content was being taught to students in the health occupations under investigation, within a technical area respondents agreed as to which skills were considered important, mathematic skills needed by the dental laboratory technician were different from that needed by other health technicians, and there were high levels of agreement between rankings of mathematics skills by mathematics faculty and other respondents. Some conclusions and implications from the data analyses included agreement as to importance of skills indicating communication between schools and employers, a common core of mathematics needed by dental laboratory technicians that is different from that needed by other health technicians, and implementation of the study through use of the survey for needs assessment and development of a curriculum responsive to local needs. (Three data tables are appended.) (YLB)

1982

ED210554