Perceptions of North Carolina High School Agricultural Educators Regarding Students with Special Needs Participating in Supervised Agricultural Experience and FFA Activities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of North Carolina high school agricultural educators toward including students with special needs when implementing Supervised Agricultural Experience and participating in FFA activities. The population was all high school agricultural educators in North Carolina with 12 month employment (N = 307). A simple random sample of 172 was selected with a response rate of 45.9%. Participants completed a questionnaire that measured teachers’ perceptions and collected demographic information. Data analysis indicated that teachers had positive perceptions toward including students with special needs when implementing SAE. Teachers perceived that FFA participation was beneficial for students with special needs, but there were more limitations for these students than for other students. Teachers most frequently perceived student ability as a barrier to working with these students in SAE and the FFA.