NARRATIVE FOR LANGUAGE ARTS RELATED ACADEMIC SKILLS
for all NATEF Automobile Technician Task Lists

The automobile technician must be proficient in the following Language Arts and Communications related academic skills that are embedded in the occupation. Using these skills the technician must be able to:

• Request, collect, comprehend, evaluate, and apply oral and written information gathered from customers, associates, and supervisors regarding problem symptoms and potential solutions to problems.

• Identify the purpose for all written and oral communication and then choose the most effective strategies for listening, reading, speaking, and writing to facilitate the communication process.

• Adapt a reading strategy for all written materials, e.g. customer's notes, service manuals, shop manuals, technical bulletins, etc., relevant to problem identification, diagnosis, solution, and repair.

• Attend to verbal and nonverbal cues in discussions with customers, supervisors, and associates to verify, identify, and solve problems.

• Use study habits and techniques, i.e. previewing, scanning, skimming, taking notes, etc., when reviewing publications (shop manuals, references, databases, operator's manuals, and text resources) for problem solving, diagnosis, and repair.

• Use prior knowledge learned from solving similar problems to diagnose and repair specific problems.

• Write clear, concise, complete, and grammatically accurate sentences and paragraphs.

• Write warranty reports and work orders to include information regarding problem resolution and the results of the work performed for the customer or manufacturer.

• Comprehend and apply industry definitions and specifications to diagnose and solve problems in all automotive systems and components.

• Follow all oral/written directions that relate to the task or system under study.

• Comprehend and use problem-solving techniques and decision trees that are contained in service manuals to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

• Scan service manuals and databases to locate specific information for problem-solving purposes.

• Use the service manual to identify the manufacturer's specifications for system parameters, operation, and potential malfunctions.

• Interpret charts, tables, or graphs to determine the manufacturer's specifications for system operation to identify out-of-tolerance systems and subsystems.

• Supply clarifying information to customers, associates, parts supplier, and supervisors.