Evaluation of furniture and decoration curriculum by four level evaluation model

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Furniture and Decoration curriculum developed within the scope of the Human Resources Development through Vocational Education Project (IKMEP) (2010) and implemented as a pilot application within the Akdeniz University Wood Technologies Research and Application Center (ATAUM) within the framework of the Kirkpatrick Four Level Evaluation Model. Convergent parallel design, one of the mixed method designs that allows the use of qualitative and quantitative methods together, was used in the study. The study group of the research consists of 26 students, 3 academic staff and representatives of 3 enterprises operating in the field of furniture and decoration in industry between 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. While the students in the study group were evaluated in the context of cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills along with the different data collection tools used in the study such as reaction form, attitude scale, achievement test, analytical rubric, interview and observation forms, the views of academic staff and representatives were evaluated according to the standards of program evaluation model. In the "Reaction" dimension of the model consisting of four stages, students' satisfaction with the curriculum was measured using the reaction form developed by the researcher and the attitude scale towards vocational education. In the "Learning" dimension, students' cognitive and psychomotor skills were measured using the achievement test and analytical rubric developed by the researcher. In the "Behavior" dimension, the degree to which the program outcomes turned into behavior was measured by using the observation form developed by the researcher, the semi-structured interview form and the self-assessment form for the academic staff. In the "Results" dimension, the total benefit of the curriculum for the institution and the society was evaluated by examining the views of the institution manager, the archive records of the institution and the sector representatives in the units where some of the students were employed after graduation. As a result of the research, it was determined that the furniture and decoration curriculum was prepared in accordance with the demands of the sector in terms of target and content. However, it was observed that the desired level of success could not be achieved in the practice of the curriculum and accordingly; graduates in real business life experienced difficulties in meeting the demands of the sector in the context of the principle of engagement. It has been determined that the curriculum needs revision in the context of the learning-teaching and some suggestions were developed in terms of restructuring the practice process, accordingly. Keywords: Four Level Evaluation Model, Vocational Education, Furniture and Decoration, Curriculum Evaluation