Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Dissertation
Keywords
Technology assessment; Missionaries -- Training of;
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify those technology assessment (TA) procedures that are most important to teach to missionary trainees. This was based on the perceptions of the chief executive officers of U.S. Protestant mission agencies.
A survey was used to collect the research data. A total of 175 usable survey instruments were returned (25.6%). Analysis of the data consisted of frequency distributions and Chi-square.
A "common core" of TA procedures which are being used by mission agencies was identified. These were: (a) on-site field investigation, (b) committee meetings, (c) brainstorming, (d) personal interviews, (e) review of related literature, (f) workshop/conference, (g) outside consultants, (h) cost-benefit analysis, (i) checklists of criteria, (j) trend analysis, and (k) social cost-benefit analysis.
The missionary who will implement the technology was the person primarily responsible for conducting the TA. A typical TA would be conducted by a team of four to six people working at the assessment on a part-time basis.
Seven TA procedures were determined to be "most useful" for mission agencies. These were: (a) on-site field investigation, (b) personal interviews, (c) brainstorming, (d) committee meetings, (e) checklists of criteria, (f) workshop/conference, and (g) cost-benefit analysis.
Over half of the respondents reported their function as church work. The function of an agency had no effect on either the actual use or perceived usefulness of TA procedures within that organization. Just under half reported 25 or fewer employees. The larger an organization was, the higher the number of different TA procedures its personnel used. Its personnel also perceived TA procedures as being more useful than personnel in smaller agencies.
It was concluded that missionary trainees who wish to do TA should generally seek employment with agencies having over 100 employees. However, more limited opportunities are also available in smaller agencies. Also, any attempt at developing a TA model for use by missionaries should be simple enough to be completed by a team of six or less people who are working no more than half-time for a maximum of eight weeks.
Year of Submission
1990
Degree Name
Doctor of Industrial Technology
Department
Department of Industrial Technology
First Advisor
Rex W. Pershing
Second Advisor
M. Roger Betts
Date Original
1990
Object Description
1 PDF file (239 pages)
Copyright
©1990, James Michael Hoeksema
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Hoeksema, James Michael, "The importance of technology assessment procedures for missionary trainees" (1990). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1265.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1265
Comments
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