TOWARD A PLAN FOR INSERVICE EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS' PERCEPTIONS OF INSERVICE EDUCATION IN ARIZONA (PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS EDUCATION)

The purpose of this study was to provide a base of information for making decisions and future plans related to inservice education programs in Arizona. Specifically compared in the study were vocational instructors' perceptions of inservice education as it exists and as the instructors wish it to exist. In addition, a list of positive and negative motivational factors for inservice education were developed.;In addition, vocational instructors stated their perceptions as to the motivational effect of various issues of inservice education. The results indicated a wide variation in what is happening in inservice education and what secondary vocational instructors would desire to be occurring in inservice education.;The findings of this study provide evidence to suggest major conclusions related to the future of inservice education in Arizona. Clearly, increased professional/technical competence is desired by the vocational instructors. The instructors view on-site release time and programs that meet immediate needs and interests to be critical to the success of inservice education in vocational education. The variables of inservice education fall into categories of positive or negative motivators, with time issues carrying the greatest negative potential, and content/format issues the most positive. Overriding all other issues is the importance of the content offered by the vocational inservice program.;Additional research related to the variables of inservice education should be conducted to further build on the positive motivational factors of inservice in vocational education.;An instrument to determine secondary vocational education instructors' perceptions toward inservice education was developed from the education literature and education research studies. The developed instrument was used to collect vocational education instructors' views and attitudes toward inservice education. The sample consisted of five hundred and twenty-three Arizona secondary vocational instructors selected from the following occupational areas: Agriculture Education, Marketing and Distributive Education, Health Occupations, Home Economics Related Occupations, Business Education, Trade and Industrial Education and Diversified Cooperative Education. The instructors indicated their preferences in the inservice education areas of; purposes, planning, methodology, implementation, and evaluation.