Developing Technical Agriculture Skills Through Laboratory Instruction in School-Based Agricultural Education

Abstract

In the context of school-based agricultural education (SBAE), technical agriculture skill instruction frequently spans the full gamut of the agricultural industry. Specifically, agriculture teachers are tasked with providing students with technical skill instruction in numerous content areas, such as animal science, plant science, and agricultural mechanics. The teaching and learning of these skills are meant to expose students to various facets of agriculture and help advance their college and career readiness. Delivering technical agriculture skill instruction in school laboratories is a common component of SBAE programming. Due to the nature of this type of instruction, there are a range of factors that must be considered when using SBAE laboratories to facilitate technical agriculture skill development, such as laboratory management and teacher competence. This chapter will explore these concepts and their supporting literature more deeply. Further, this chapter will also identify current gaps in the scholarly literature and provide recommendations to SBAE scholars to consider.