74 research outputs found
Over The Edge: Factors Nudging Mid-Career, School-Based Agriculture Teachers Out of the Profession
No full textThe field of agricultural education has experienced a consistent labor shortage the past several decades. Consequently, many school districts struggle to fill their open positions, while others are forced to shut down their agricultural programs completely due to inadequate staffing. Teacher attrition has been identified as a predominant factor behind the teacher shortage. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify factors influencing mid-career school-based agriculture teachers’ decision to stay in or leave the secondary agriculture teaching profession. Researchers developed and administered questionnaires, as well as conducted interviews, to gather data from current, mid-career agriculture teachers to answer the research questions. The researcher’s discovered mid-career agriculture teachers are satisfied with their careers and significant differences do not exist in overall job satisfaction between those contemplating leaving and those who were not. However, differences existed between groups in areas related to recognition and school policy and administration. Additional findings suggest mid-career agriculture teachers value student and program successes, autonomy and variety, and stakeholder support. Moreover, the researcher’s discovered mid-career agriculture teachers experience similar frustrations as teachers in other professional life stages; however, they seem to struggle more with balancing their personal and professional lives due to changing family dynamics.This article is published as Solomonson, J. K., & Retallick, M. S. (2018). Over the edge: Factors nudging mid-career, school-based agriculture teachers out of the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(4), 1-19. doi: 10.5032/jae.2018.04001. Posted with permission.</p
Why Do They Leave and Where Do They Go? A Qualitative Study of Illinois School-Based Agriculture Teachers Who Left The Profession
No full textApproximately half of a million educators move or leave the profession each year with an estimated 41% of all educators exiting within the first five years. Additionally, agriculture teacher preparation programs are not producing enough graduates to meet current demands with 1,476 agricultural teacher vacancies existing in 2016 and only 772 individuals completing an approved teacher preparation program to become fully licensed. While the lack of young people entering the teaching profession is concerning, researchers have suggested teacher attrition is the predominant reason behind the ongoing teacher shortage. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify factors influencing former agriculture teachers’ decision to leave the classroom. Themes developed that stem from unrealized expectations for one’s career and the belief that being an excellent agriculture teacher is incompatible with a satisfying personal life. A final theme indicated the need for additional support alongside a philosophical shift in the profession that dictates “more is not always better.” Recommendations are made for further research along with ideological and practical shifts needed within the profession to improve teacher retention.This article is published as Solomonson, J. K., Thieman, E. B., Korte, D. S., & Retallick, M. S. (2019). Why do they leave and where do they go? A qualitative study of Illinois school-based agriculture teachers who left the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(4), 115-131. doi: 10.5032/jae.2019.04115. Posted with permission.</p
Factors contributing to Illinois school-based agriculture teachers’ final decision to leave the classroom
No full textTeacher attrition is a significant problem nationally and a special challenge for school-based agriculture education programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate contributing variables associated with former Illinois school-based agriculture teachers and their decision to leave the profession. A four-factor conceptual model is proposed as a framework for explaining agriculture teacher retention or attrition and includes the multivariate constructs of Personal Factors, Working Conditions, Teacher Development, and Compensation. Demographic characteristics are explored as well as difference between novice and experienced teachers and their perceptions of attrition influences. This study is unique in that it reports survey data from teachers who have left the profession (n = 91) and explores their reflective perceptions about reasons for leaving. Among all teachers, Personal Factors and Teacher Development were found to have the most impact on decisions to leave the profession. Compensation was found to be a more significant attrition influence for novice teachers than for experienced teachers. Recommendations for organizations hoping to promote agriculture teacher retention are discussed.This article is published as Solomonson, J. K., Korte, D. S., Thieman, E. B., Retallick, M. S., & Keating, K. H. (2018). Factors contributing to Illinois school-based agriculture teachers’ final decision to leave the classroom. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(2), 321-342. doi: 10.5032/jae.2018.02321. Posted with permission.</p
Determining why agricultural educators are leaving the profession and how to increase the retention rate
No full textThe field of agricultural education has experienced a consistent labor shortage the past several decades. Consequently, many school districts struggle to fill their open positions, while others are forced to shut down their agricultural programs completely due to inadequate staffing. Research indicates teacher attrition as a predominant factor behind the teacher shortage. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine why agricultural educators are leaving the profession and identify potential action steps to alleviate the problem. Specific objectives included: (1) identify factors influencing current agricultural educators’ decision to leave or stay in the profession; (2) determine factors associated with former agricultural educators’ final decision to leave the profession; and (3) identify factors that would influence an agricultural educator to stay in, and a former agricultural educator to return to, the profession.
Researchers developed and administered questionnaires, as well as conducted interviews, to gather data from agricultural educators currently in the profession and with those who have already left the profession for alternative employment. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the quantitative component of the study. Open-coding was utilized to reveal concepts and develop themes for the qualitative component of the study.
Results indicate agricultural educators are satisfied with their careers and significant differences did not exist between those contemplating leaving and those who were not. However, differences existed between groups in areas related to recognition and school policy and administration. Furthermore, the data revealed mid-career agricultural educators experience similar frustrations as teachers in other professional life stages; however, they seem to struggle more with balancing their personal and professional lives due to changing family dynamics. Researchers discovered personal factors were the leading contributor to all former teachers’ decision to leave the profession. Interestingly, compensation was deemed the lowest contributor. Moreover, significant differences were identified between novice and experienced teachers in several areas. Unrealized expectations and the belief of being an excellent agricultural educator and having a satisfying personal life are incompatible, surfaced as underlying factors as to why a teacher leaves the profession. To increase retention rates, the profession must provide teachers additional support in addition to creating a philosophical shift towards a more sustainable model which is mindful of out-of-classroom expectations.</p
An archetypal study of the fertility angel paradigm in dramatic literature
No full textWithin the multi-faceted paradigm of the traditional angel exists the archetype of the fertility angel. Typically, the figure exhibits power over the human natal process and also promotes agricultural fecundity. The angel was also believed to offer blessings of wholeness to the individual, as well as the community. The fertility angel appears in myth, folk tale and literature both before and after the advent of the Christian era. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the archetype\u27s presence in dramatic literature and analyze how the paradigm functions in its various modes. Four chapters form the body of this work. The first two trace the archetype historically through various mythologies, while the final two chapters focus on its use in dramatic literature. Chapter one illuminates the widespread existence of the archetype by analyzing angelic models that appear in diverse cultural and religious myths before the influence of Christianity. Chapter two suggests that the fertility angel was a part of Christian culture before it was supplanted by more familiar paradigms shaped by early Church leaders and theologians. Nonetheless the archetype recurrently appears, even into the twentieth century. Chapter three examines the fertility angel as it appears in dramatic works, beginning with angelic prototypes in Greek and Roman literature, moving to the angel characters of Medieval and Renaissance works, before finally concluding with nineteenth-century plays. Chapter four represents my area of specialization, twentieth-century American history. This chapter analyzes the fertility angel character as it appears in the works of such playwrights as Bertolt Brecht, William Gibson, Tony Kushner, Arthur Miller, and Thornton Wilder, among others. The playwrights\u27 treatment of the fertility angel paradigm is examined in light of the historical and literary antecedents
Oxidation-reduction midpoint potentials of the molybdenum center in spinach NADH:nitrate reductase
No full textAbstractOxidation-reduction midpoint potentials for the molybdenum center in assimilatory NADH:nitrate reductase isolated from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) have been determined at pH 7.0 in the presence of dye mediators using EPR spectroscopy to monitor formation of Mo(V). Values for the Mo(VI)/Mo(V) and Mo(V)/Mo(IV) couples were determined to be −8 and −42 mV, respectively
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