This was a comparative study in which Texas teachers of industrial plastics and the employers of Texas plastic industries were surveyed in order to evaluate the need for various knowledge and skills of the plastics industry. The respondents believed that basic knowledge of plastics was much needed, and knowledge of the thermoplastic family is of more importance than of the thermoset family. It was also concluded that knowledge of demonstration skills is of only average or lesser importance than knowledge of other areas.

The purpose of this study was to identify the essential furniture and equipment needed for instructional programs in industrial arts in grades seven and eight in Texas public schools. The study includes a brief history of federal and state legislation affecting industrial arts and vocational education. A checklist containing items of furniture and equipment applicable to each of the twelve approved areas of Introductory General Shop in grades seven and eight was sent to industrial arts teachers, supervisors of industrial arts in the pilot programs, and industrial arts teacher educators in Texas. Over 51 per cent of the respondents agreed that a majority of the items listed in the checklist were essential or desirable for instructional programs in industrial arts in grades seven and eight.

The problem of this study was to determine the suitability of available industrial arts textbooks for classroom use in the subject area of power mechanics. Criteria used in determining the subject matter content and format suitability of the textbooks were selected from previous research and applied to the textbooks by five jurors. Only one of the eight textbooks evaluated for subject matter content was found suitable for use in courses in power mechanics, while all of the textbooks were found suitable when evaluated for format. In order to conduct a comprehensive industrial arts power mechanics program, teachers must rely on supplementary materials in classroom instruction because of the low levels of subject matter suitability of the textbooks.

The problem was to identify the technical competencies necessary for beginning industrial arts woodworking teachers in Texas public secondary schools. Twenty-seven clusters of competencies were listed on a questionnaire sent to ninety-one supervisors of industrial arts in eighty-six Texas school districts requesting that these supervisors evaluate each cluster as "Essential," "Desirable," or "Unnecessary." Sixty-six questionnaires were returned (72.53 percent). A weighted rating scale was used to determine an overall evaluation for each cluster, with the result that twenty-five of the clusters were judged to be "Essential" and the two remaining clusters were judged to be "Desirable." It was concluded that the clusters judged to be "Essential" should be part of the required curriculum and that more training in tool maintenance be given.

The purpose of this study was to determine topics being taught by power technology instructors in Texas and to develop a curriculum from these topics. This curriculum was meant to be a guide for a power technology course for the ninth grade. Questionnaires were distributed to power technology instructors in Texas. The topics from these questionnaires which instructors indicated they were teaching or they believed should be included in instructional content were made a part of the power technology curriculum. It was concluded most topics mentioned were in use or were indicated important to a comprehensive curriculum.