42 research outputs found
School-based Agricultural Education Teachers’ Experiences During a Year-long Field Test of the CASE Mechanical Systems in Agriculture (MSA) Curriculum
No full textScience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) applications have become increasingly more commonplace in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) settings in the past few decades. In recent years, Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) programming has provided a practical outlet for STEM-focused, inquiry-based teaching and learning activities. The CASE Mechanical Systems in Agriculture (MSA) course was recently field-tested nationally with several SBAE teachers. Framed within Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory, we sought to study six teachers’ experiences when implementing the CASE MSA curriculum throughout the 2018-2019 academic year. Using qualitative research methods, we conducted multiple one-on-one interviews with each SBAE teacher at different parts of their respective academic years. Data were coded in accordance with Merriam’s (2009) recommendations. Four dominant themes emerged: (1) the journey toward innovation; (2) learning as you go; (3) logistical and implementation challenges; and (4) students’ needs and preferences. Several prominent sub-themes emerged as well. Our findings highlight that although challenges existed, the CASE MSA curriculum was suitable for enhancing the rigor and relevance of these teachers’ agricultural mechanics curricula. We recommend CASE MSA curriculum stakeholders collaborate to continuously improve its design and flexibility.This article is published as Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Smalley, S. W., & Chumbley, S. "Boot". (2021). School-based Agricultural Education Teachers’ Experiences During a Year-long Field Test of the CASE Mechanical Systems in Agriculture (MSA) Curriculum. Journal of Agricultural Education, 62(1), 312–330. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2021.01312
The Impact of a Career and Technology Education Program
No full textThere continues to be a shortage of qualified graduates for agriculture jobs within the United States. One reason for this shortage is the decline in student enrollment in colleges of agriculture. One tool that can increase college preparation for future graduates and help students succeed is the agriculture dual-enrollment program. Dual enrollment allows high-school students to take courses while dually enrolled in a corresponding college course. The program was found to have a positive impact on students taking more rigorous courses and gaining in-depth knowledge of agriculture. Teachers felt that this program helped in establishing higher standards in coursework and in feeling satisfied about their job. It enhanced prestige and program reputation. Dual enrollment was seen to have little to no impact on school counselors. Research focused on the pedagogical approaches of these course offerings will benefit the creation of future high-quality dual credit courses
Technical Agriculture Skills Teachers Need to Teach Courses in the Plant Systems Pathway
No full textAgricultural teacher education programs are designed to prepare competent teachers who are ready to teach students in public schools. One aspect of agricultural teacher education is ensuring teachers are ready to lead instruction in various aspects of school-based agricultural education (SBAE), such as teaching students various technical agriculture skills. As part of a larger study, we used a three-round Delphi study to identify the technical agriculture skills SBAE teachers in Illinois and Iowa need to effectively teach courses in the Plant Systems pathway within the broader Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster. A panel of 27 experienced SBAE teachers nominated by their colleagues contributed data for our study. Eighteen teachers participated in all three rounds. At the conclusion of our Delphi study, we identified 82 technical agriculture skills. To help ensure teachers are competent and prepared to teach courses in the Plant Systems pathway, we suggest several approaches agricultural teacher educators should consider: (1) facilitating opportunities to implement technical agriculture skill development opportunities within agricultural teacher education programs, (2) engaging with agricultural faculty who teach technical agriculture courses to pre-service teachers, and (3) using our list of 82 skills as a springboard to facilitate future scholarly inquiry on the topic. While our results are not generalizable beyond the SBAE teachers in Illinois and Iowa, we do believe our findings are valuable to SBAE stakeholders. To enhance generalizability and provide a more thorough exploration of teachers’ technical agriculture skill needs, replication of our study should occur in other states.This article is published as Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B. D., Wilson, M., Rinker, S. P., & Chumbley, S. "Boot". (2022). Technical Agriculture Skills Teachers Need to Teach Courses in the Plant Systems Pathway. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(3), 100–116. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.03100. © 2022 American Association for Agricultural Education. Posted with permission
Technical agriculture skills teachers need to teach courses in the animal systems pathway
No full textFundamentally, agricultural teacher education programs and their faculty are tasked with preparing competent teachers capable of teaching students enrolled in public schools. As part of their design, an important facet of these programs is ensuring pre-service teachers are ready to provide educational opportunities in aspects of school-based agricultural education (SBAE), including teaching technical agriculture skills to students. We used a three-round Delphi technique to identify the technical agriculture skills SBAE teachers in Illinois and Iowa need to effectively teach courses in the Animal Systems pathway within the broader Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster. Thirty-four SBAE teachers who were nominated by state-level SBAE leaders and other SBAE teachers in their states contributed data for our study. Twenty-two teachers participated in all three rounds. In total, we identified 35 technical agriculture skill items. To help ensure teachers are competent and prepared to teach courses in the Animal Systems pathway, we outline several approaches agricultural teacher educators should contemplate: (1) facilitating opportunities to foster technical agriculture skill development within agricultural teacher education programs, (2) collaborating with agricultural faculty who teach technical agriculture courses to pre-service teachers, and (3) using our list of 35 skills to facilitate future scholarly investigation on the topic. While not generalizable beyond the SBAE teachers in these two states, we do believe our findings have value for SBAE stakeholders. To overcome the limitation of generalizability and to delve deeper into teachers’ technical agriculture skill needs, we suggest that our study be replicated in other states.This article is published as Wells, T., Solomonson, J., Hainline, M., Rank, B., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. (2023). Technical agriculture skills teachers need to teach courses in the animal systems pathway. Journal of Agricultural Education, 64(3), 158–175. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v64i3.117. © 2023 American Association for Agricultural Education. Posted with permission
Examining University-level Agricultural Students' Safety Climate Attitudes in the Agricultural Mechanics Labratory
No full textA multi‐university cohort model for teaching complex and interdisciplinary problem‐solving using system dynamics
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School-based Agricultural Education Teachers’ Experiences During a Year-long Field Test of the CASE Mechanical Systems in Agriculture (MSA) Curriculum
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