A Regional Study of the Agricultural Mechanics Knowledge and Skills Needed by School-based Agricultural Education Teachers

Abstract

A priority of agricultural teacher education programs is to develop technically competent, prepared school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers. SBAE teachers should be knowledgeable in various agricultural subject matter, such as agricultural mechanics. Using Roberts and Ball’s (2009) Content-based Model for Teaching Agriculture as the conceptual framework for our study, we used a three-round Delphi technique to identify the agricultural mechanics knowledge and skills SBAE teachers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas need to successfully teach agricultural mechanics courses. Spread across all four states, a panel of 47 SBAE teachers with expertise in agricultural mechanics contributed data for our study. Thirty-five teachers participated in all three rounds. After all three rounds were completed, 71 technical agricultural mechanics knowledge and skill items (e.g., circular saw use, computer numerical control [CNC] systems use, etc.) and 49 agricultural mechanics “teacher skill” / laboratory management knowledge and skill items (e.g., budget management, developing a student traffic control system, etc.) were identified. We recommend various efforts to help expand teachers’ competence in these items should be undertaken within these states, including: (1) establishing and expanding partnerships with agricultural industry stakeholders to provide professional development opportunities for SBAE teachers, (2) realigning agricultural teacher education courses and experiences to better reflect teachers’ agricultural mechanics knowledge and skill needs, and (3) facilitating opportunities for teachers to develop competence in agricultural mechanics through SBAE teacher-led training. To help provide systematic, consistent examination of teacher competence needs in agricultural mechanics, replication of our study should occur at regular intervals.