Characteristics of effective instruction and student engagement: A case study of two exemplary Florida agriculture teachers

Abstract

Student disengagement has been an ongoing problem for educators in the United States. Engaging students is critical to ensuring students see the value of their education. The purpose of this exemplar case study was to understand how effective teaching impacts student engagement of high school agriculture students in Florida. Two Florida agriculture teachers, identified as exemplary agriculture teachers, and 22 students served as participants. Three methods of data collection were involved in this study: teacher interviews, student focus groups, and teacher observations. The top five characteristics of effective teaching described by Rosenshine and Furst (1971) were used as a priori themes for the data analysis. These characteristics were clarity, variety, enthusiasm, business and/or task-oriented behaviors, and student opportunity to learn criterion material. The teachers used all five of the characteristics to engage students. Students reported high levels of engagement and positive feelings about class. Further studies should be conducted to replicate the study with a larger group of exemplary agriculture teachers. The study recommends that teacher educators considering teaching pre-service teachers how to demonstrate the characteristics of effective instruction to impact engagement. We recommend agriculture teachers consider reflecting on their use of the characteristics of effective instruction.