Agricultural Education Curriculum Research Articles

Agricultural vocational education and training for sustainable futures: responsiveness to the climate and economic crisis in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT With ever-increasing focus from policymakers on the potential of vocational education to provide skills for livelihoods and sustainability in the rural economy, this study set out to investigate attempts at curriculum reform by agricultural technical and vocational education and training providers in the context of the dual crisis – ‘climate and economic’ – in Zimbabwe. The question addressed is: How should the agricultural vocational education and training curriculum respond to the climate and economic crisis to ensure sustainability? The paper highlights enablers and barriers to curriculum responsiveness. Moll’s model of curriculum responsiveness provided analytical lenses for the study. Data collection was through semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, document analysis and observations, and analysed thematically. The study revealed that the climate crisis in Zimbabwe has affected both government and non-government vocational training centres in several ways. However, the curriculum was 'one-size fits all', focused on the needs of a formal labour market. Such a labour market has been decimated by the economic crisis and climate break down. Hence, providers of agricultural vocational education in rural areas ought to consider re-engineering the curriculum to be more responsive to a range of drivers, including climate change, especially within the rural context.

21st Century Skills Required In Eswatini's Higher Agricultural Education Curriculum

21st Century Skills Required In Eswatini's Higher Agricultural Education Curriculum

Science Citizenship through Secondary Agricultural Education

Global society has major scientific challenges to solve over the coming decades including climate change and food insecurity. Considering school-based agricultural education can play an important role in developing scientifically literate and civically engaged citizens to help address these challenges, this study sought to describe and compare Pennsylvania agricultural education students’ science literacy, civic engagement, and science citizenship. In addition, the purpose of this study was to determine which variables of science literacy and civic engagement best predicted students’ science citizenship. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the study utilized a questionnaire adapted from three existing instruments to measure science literacy, civic engagement, and science citizenship. Data was collected from a proportionate stratified random sample of Pennsylvania agricultural education programs for a total of (n = 197) students. The multiple linear regression model was found to be a significant predictor of students’ science citizenship and explained 57.8% of the variance. Civic skills efficacy, civic participation, value of science, science skills, and civic duty were significant predictors of students’ science citizenship. Recommendations from results include incorporating civic education that builds students civic skills into agricultural education curriculum, educating pre-service agriculture teachers how to incorporate civic engagement into their programs, and further research to determine the extent to which agriculture teachers currently support students’ civic engagement in their programs.

Curriculum reform in agricultural vocational education and training in Zimbabwe: Implementation challenges and possibilities

There is a need for the agricultural technical vocational education and training curriculum in Zimbabwe to be reformed so that it can respond to changes in farmer demographics, the expanding roles of agricultural extension officers (AEOs), changes in technology and climate change. The current agriculture curriculum was developed for a different context altogether; therefore, it now lacks relevance to the prevailing socio-economic, political and environmental changes. There is a need for the curriculum to respond to the evolving needs of farmers, AEOs and institutions providing agricultural extension, and to match the changes in AEOs’ occupation role profiles. This article draws on curricular documents from five institutions involved in the agricultural extension curriculum and policy, together with 22 respondents, with the aim of exposing gaps in the agricultural extension curriculum. In addition, the article explores the ways in which the curriculum can be reimagined to meet the needs of small-scale farmers, AEOs and emerging agricultural developments and digital technologies. The authors advance what might be the processes of change in the curriculum, highlighting the weaknesses of the current curriculum as well as what a more responsive curriculum for Zimbabwe should look like in the light of both local and international expectations. In so doing, it contributes to a wider international debate about agricultural education reform.

New Decade, Same Concerns: A Systematic Review of Agricultural Literacy of School Students

In this new decade of the twenty-first century, research reports the same concerns about agricultural literacy in primary and high school students globally. A systematic review of agricultural literacy studies published between 2000 and 2020 which assess the agricultural literacy of the target population; evaluated an agricultural education program or curriculum; or developed instruments to measure agricultural literacy was conducted. The review method followed an internationally recognized protocol for selecting, screening, analyzing, and reporting outcomes. Results found that definitions of agricultural literacy have evolved from an awareness to a measure of a deeper understanding developed throughout the years of formal schooling by both formal and informal education and experiences. Informal agricultural knowledge may be gained through numerous sources and misconceptions are apparent even among those with informal familial knowledge networks. Developing agricultural literacy in school-aged children through formal education is critical. Recommendations offer innovative ways of developing agriculturally literate young people that can be used to design, deliver and evaluate programs which aim to increase the agricultural literacy of primary and secondary students across the globe.

Promise and performance of gender mainstreaming at a Zimbabwean agricultural training college

Gender equality in education and training can be achieved only if curricula at every level of the system become gender-sensitive. The present study examines the extent to which the milieu at one agricultural training college in Zimbabwe promotes the implementation of gender-sensitive training. The main investigative question posed was as follows: To what extent is the agricultural education and training curriculum used at the college gender-sensitive? By responding to this question, the study provided some response to the performance, challenges and prospects for gender mainstreaming in the college’s agricultural education curriculum. Data for this study were generated by document analysis of policy, curricular and instructional documents, interviews with 12 college lecturers, four college administrators and selected final year students, and by lesson observations. The study revealed that while government, and to a lesser extent college policies, articulate the need for gender equality, little attention is paid to these invocations in practice. Likewise, agricultural education and training curricula, training techniques, learning-support materials and out-of-class activities reflect minimal attention to issues of gender equality. The article concludes by discussing possible interventions that correspond to these findings.

Improving Agricultural Education Curriculum Through Sea Food Resources at the Tertiary Institutions

This work centered on improving Agricultural Education curriculum through sea food resources at the tertiary institutions. The research was conducted in Ebonyi state of Nigeria. The design used for this research was a survey research design. The research had five specific purposes and five research questions. The collection of data used for the study was done using questionnaire as the instrument. The questionnaire contained 50 items. The questionnaire was validated by experts in agricultural Education, measurement and evaluation and curriculum. The reliability of the instrument was determined by carrying out a pilot test. The data collected from the pilot test was analyzed using cronbach alpha which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.812. The data collected were subjected to analysis using statistical mean and standard deviation. The outcome of the analysis of the data revealed that the concepts of the sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions, the management skills in sea food resources, the harvesting techniques of sea food resources, the processing, preservation and storage techniques of sea food resources and the distribution and marketing of sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions. On the basis of the findings, the researchers recommended that the ministry of education, the institutions offering agricultural education and the national university commission (NUC) should include the findings of this research in the curriculum of agricultural education. Keywords: Agriculture; Education; Curriculum; food;resources;tertiary;institutions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-35-04 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Technical In-Service Needs of Agriculture Teachers in Georgia by Career Pathway

A teacher’s content knowledge, coupled with skilled teaching and a disposition for classroom service, all have a positive effect on student outcomes. This study assessed the in-service professional development needs of Georgia agriculture teachers’ in the seven career pathways defined in the Agricultural Education curriculum: Agribusiness Systems, Animal Systems, Environmental Service Systems, Food Products and Processing Systems, Natural Resources, Plant Systems, and Power and Technical Systems. Multiple areas within pathways were found to be beneficial for professional development according to teachers including: lab management, lab safety, greenhouse management, nutrition, feeds and feeding, market research, business plan development, etc. Teachers at all levels of experience noted additional professional development in plant systems and lab safety would be beneficial and teachers with less than 10 years expressed need for training in power and technical systems. Significant differences were found between male and female teachers in the area of power and technical systems, with males expressing need for additional professional development. Rural teachers saw more benefit in food processing professional development than their urban counterparts. Future research should investigate trends in professional development as it pertains to gender to provide a more tailored understanding of factors contributing to the individual needs of teachers, especially in the power and technical systems pathway. Additionally, research is needed to assess other elements of effective professional development in Agricultural Education such as the value of duration, collaboration, and reflection.

Content Topic Development for Elementary Agricultural Education Curriculum

The purpose of this Delphi study was to determine perceptions of 16 stakeholders regarding what topics should be included in new elementary agricultural education curriculum for the state of Georgia. Participants consisted of elementary principals/teachers/counselors, middle school teachers, Ag in the classroom representatives, Agricultural Education State Staff, curriculum specialists, early childhood teachers, and commodity group representatives. This Delphi study resulted in 52 topics that were agreed upon by the participants; 10 topics received a 4.50 – 5.00, 16 items received a 4.25 – 4.49, 13 items received a 4.00 – 4.24, 11 items received a 3.75 – 3.99, 2 items received a 3.50 – 3.7. Participants identified the following five knowledge/skills/competencies as the most important: 1. Define agriculture and local community agriculture, 2. Agriculture industry other than farming, 3. Farm products/ag products/locally grown, 4. Careers in agriculture, 5. Resource management. These 52 knowledge/skills/competencies serve as a practical starting point for elementary agricultural education standards development. Additional research is needed to refine each knowledge/skills/competencies. The results of this study have been used to create the first set of elementary agricultural education standards for Georgia that were implemented in the Fall of 2019 by 26 pilot elementary agricultural education programs.

Mathematics Efficacy and Professional Development Needs of Tennessee Agricultural Education Teachers

School-based agricultural education programs are recognized as contributors to teaching contextualized mathematics and supporting STEM education. This study examined the mathematics teaching efficacy and professional development needs of Tennessee school-based agricultural education teachers related to teaching contextualized mathematics. Tennessee agricultural education teachers were moderately efficacious in Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy and Mathematics Teaching Outcome Expectancy, and this may negatively impact the teaching of mathematical concepts found in Tennessee’s agricultural education curricula. Also, similarities and differences were found in the teachers’ professional development needs based upon mathematics teaching efficacy. Future research should seek to discover factors impacting the development of mathematics teaching efficacy among school-based agricultural education teachers. We also recommend professional development related to teaching contextualized mathematics be tailored to the different needs of teachers by states or regions.

Perceptions of higher agricultural education toward sustainable agricultural development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the purposes and current outcomes of Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree program in Austria. It identifies the ability of higher agricultural education (HAE) curriculum to meet its purpose by way of validating its current outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study used survey research design to purposively sample faculty members and graduating students under the bachelor degree program of Agricultural Science at BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. In addition to a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews were also conducted to validate the data gathered. Findings The Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree program in Austria aims to develop the student scientific understanding of theoretical and practical aspects of agriculture. The program also gears toward developing their lifelong learning skills. Analysis of the difference reveals congruence in the perceptions of agricultural education professionals and students regarding the intended and expected learning outcomes of the HAE curriculum. The findings affirm how the purposes and outcomes of HAE curriculum have been met successfully and their implications to BS Agriculture curriculum in the University of the Philippines. The findings are grounded on the firm foundations of Austrian higher education system from their strategic curriculum planning, design, and implementation to evaluation where all stages are done in consultation with the various stakeholders. Truly a community of dedicated members of the academic and administrative staff is a powerful tool toward curricular advancement in HAE institutions. Practical implications The subject of this study, in particular BOKU University, provides a concrete example that not only the University of the Philippines Los Baños but all the other agricultural universities around the world could learn from. Social implications This study serves as a springboard for the development of new and innovative models of curriculum and instruction in the Philippines and other agricultural developing countries in the world. Originality/value This is an original study that provides discussion on the link between a developed country as a possible model and a developing country in terms of HAE. It helps the HAE institutions realize the ways on how their educational aspirations will turn into reality when it comes to fulfilling their role in supplying a well-trained and productive workforce for the agricultural economy toward sustainable agriculture development in one’s own country.

Possibilities of Agricultural Education for Secondary Level in Pakistan

Agricultural education is the main component to promote development and production of agriculture. In Pakistan, higher education institutes are offering agricultural education at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. F.Sc. Pre-Agriculture program has also been started in selected universities of agriculture. At the same time, the subject of agriculture has been part of elementary schools for many years. But, the gap still exists for the provision of agricultural education at secondary level. So, the study aims to review the initiatives of agriculture education at secondary level in national educational policies and five-year plans and to explore the possibilities for the promotion of curriculum for agricultural education according to opinions from agricultural education experts. This offers a descriptive study. The study was conducted in two steps. Documentary analysis technique was firstly used. Further, the need of agricultural education curriculum for secondary level was assessed and possibilities of agriculture education were explored. Purposive sampling technique was used to select subject specialists. The data was analyzed with frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The qualitative data was analyzed by themes and analytical approach. This research suggests that agriculture education is highly desirable for introduction at secondary school.

Supervised Agricultural Experience Instruction in Agricultural Teacher Education Programs: A National Descriptive Study

Faculty in agricultural teacher education programs are responsible for preparing future teachers to lead effective school-based agricultural education programs. However, agriculture teachers are having difficulty implementing supervised agricultural experience (SAE), even though they value it conceptually as a program component. In an effort to improve SAE instruction in teacher education, the American Association for Agricultural Education has adopted a guiding philosophy and competencies for teacher preparation in SAE. Using these documents, the purpose of this national descriptive study was to identify where and to what extent SAE instruction was included within agricultural teacher education curriculum and describe the level of SAE instruction occurring in agricultural teacher education programs in the United States. Findings of this study indicate that there was a broad range in the level of instruction occurring for each of these competencies among teacher education programs. These results provide a snapshot of one- moment-in-time and serve as a starting point for a conversation about how supervised agricultural experience should be taught in agricultural teacher education. It is recommended that supervised agricultural experience competencies be taught using inquiry-based or problem-solving methods guided by the experiential learning process.

Identifying International Agricultural Concepts for Secondary Agricultural Education Curriculum

The globalization of the agriculture industry has created an emerging need for agricultural education in the United States to take a more globalized approach to prepare students for future careers in agriculture. The purpose of this study was to identify international agricultural concepts for secondary agricultural education curriculum. A Delphi study was used to obtain a general consensus by a panel of experts, and 24 overarching concepts were identified to incorporate into an internationalized secondary agricultural curriculum within the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster. The overarching concepts were placed into five categories including: (a) production, (b) business, (c) culture, (d) environment, and (e) global awareness. We recommend the 24 concepts be used by curriculum specialists to internationalize secondary curriculum for school based agricultural education (SBAE). Future research should investigate the utility of the concepts and best practices for teaching international content in SBAE.

Does Agricultural Mechanics Laboratory Size Affect Agricultural Education Teachers' Job Satisfaction?

Secondary agricultural education teachers were surveyed to examine if a relationship existed between the physical attributes of agricultural mechanics laboratories and agricultural education teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics. Teachers also indicated their competence to teach courses other than agricultural mechanics within the agricultural education curriculum, perceived importance of Iowa agricultural education curricula, and training an agricultural mechanics Career Development Event (CDE) team. Responses were collected from 103 Iowa agricultural education teachers. It was found that shop size and the age of the shop did not have a correlation between agricultural education teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics, competence in other courses, importance of agricultural mechanics, or training a team to compete in the state CDE. Teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics was positively correlated to the size of the budget for consumables and equipment for their agricultural mechanics laboratory. Researchers recommend that further research be conducted to identify factors which motivate agricultural education teachers who teach agricultural mechanics within secondary agricultural education programs

A Cross-Case Comparison of the Academic Integration Human Capital Pre-service Agricultural Educators Retain Prior to Their Teaching Internship

The purpose of this cross-case comparison was to explore agricultural education pre-service teachers’ perceptions in regards to integrating academics into agricultural education curriculum. This study included three agricultural education teacher certification programs in the United States. The pre-service teachers queried held similar perceptions regarding the integration of academic related concepts into an agricultural education curriculum. (a) Participants felt agriculture was a natural integration and emphasis vehicle for a range of academic subjects. (b) Participants felt it was important to emphasize the core subject matter inherent to agriculture, but care must be taken to not fundamentally alter the purpose of the agricultural education program. (c) A consensus was reached that lessons should be “hands-on” and relate to real world applications. It was recommended prior knowledge was important for successful integration of core content into an agriculture curriculum. An examination of how many credit hours of mathematics, science, and English pre-service agricultural education teachers are required to take to be effective at integration of core material should occur. Further, collaboration between university faculty of agricultural education and other departments outlining ways to achieve successful integration of academic content was needed.

Mathematical Strengths and Weaknesses of Preservice Agricultural Education Teachers

The purpose of this study was to describe the mathematics ability of preservice agricultural education teachers related to each of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) content/process areas and their corresponding sub-standards that are cross-referenced with the National Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Career Cluster Content Standards. To that end, the preservice teachers were not completely proficient in any of the content/process areas and were below proficiency in all of the corresponding NCTM sub-standards for 4 of the 6 content/process areas. They were proficient in 3 of the 13 NCTM sub-standards, moderately proficient in 4 of the 13 NCTM sub-standards, and not proficient in 6 of the 13 NCTM sub-standards. The results of this study suggest current practices are not sufficient for developing the mathematics content knowledge required for teaching the NCTM sub-standards found within the agricultural education curricula. To prepare preservice teachers for teaching mathematical concepts within the agricultural education curricula, agricultural educators should integrate mathematics subject matter related to the cross-referenced NCTM sub-standards into teacher education coursework, with an emphasis on the 10 NCTM sub-standards in which the preservice teachers were below the proficient level.

Student Perceptions of Agricultural Education Programme Processes at Selected High Schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Purpose: This study investigates student perceptions of different aspects of Agricultural Education and Training (AET) programme processes that have been offered in secondary schools by the formal educational sector in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study seeks to identify the existing shortcomings in the implementation of the agricultural education curriculum by gathering important information considering three different types of agricultural science schools. The intention of this study is to inform education policy-makers, programme organizers and teachers at all levels and thereby assist them in the identification of those areas in which improvements can be made.Design/methodology/approach: The sample population of 375 pupils was selected from high schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research was arranged in nested concurrent mixed sampling designs. The response rate for this sample was 97%. The survey was conducted by using a pre-tested structured interview schedule.Findings: The results show that in the teaching and learning process there is sufficient agricultural lesson coverage, notes for each lesson and time compatibilities in covering agricultural textbooks within the allocated teaching times. However, problems do exist, namely, wasted uncovered class lessons, inadequate teaching aids and materials, and a shortage of trained agricultural science teachers. The majority of agricultural science students indicate the unavailability of sufficient infrastructure and support.Practical implications: It is recommended that the responsible bodies should give serious consideration to the improvement of teaching aids and teacher training within the system. Throughout the system, thoughtful consideration should be given to the teacher-student-teaching-learning infrastructure.Originality/value: The article presents actual data collected from the province. Analysing the educational processes and taking appropriate action could help to solve the existing teaching and learning problems in the system.

Does Prior Experience in Secondary Agricultural Mechanics Affect Pre-service Agricultural Education Teachers' Intentions to Enroll in Post-secondary Agricultural Mechanics Coursework?

Agricultural mechanics coursework has historically been considered an important and necessary con- struct of the secondary agricultural education curriculum (Burris, Robinson, & Terry, 2005). With ex- pectations of offering secondary agricultural mechanics coursework apparent, it is vital that agricultural education teachers be prepared to address these curriculum needs. Recent evidence (Burris, McLaugh- lin, McCulloch, Brashears, & Fraze, 2010) indicated that many agricultural education teachers (particu- larly early-career teachers) felt less comfortable teaching agricultural mechanics than other agricultural content areas. Hubert and Leising (2000) indicated, on average, potential agriculture education teachers are only required to enroll in two (2) three-credit hour courses to meet certification requirements. The purpose of this study was to describe potential relationships between the quantity of agricultural mechan- ics training and skills received at the secondary and at the post-secondary levels. Correlations were cal- culated to determine the magnitude of these relationships. Statistically significant, positive correlations were found in each of the skill areas. The researchers recommend that agricultural mechanics course- work be increased and enhanced at teacher preparation institutions. Also, the modernization of second- ary and post-secondary agricultural mechanics facilities and curricula to reflect increases in available technologies should be considered as a method to enhance students’ interests in the content area.

Co-operative Occupational Education: A Strategy for Preparing Nigerian Youths for Employment in Agricultural Occupations

It has often been stated that fresh graduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions in vocational courses have little or no practical production skills to make them readily employable without further training. A lot of reasons have been attributed to this including inadequate and obsolete facilities for skill teaching and learning. This paper presents Cooperative Occupational Education (COE) as a strategy to overcome this problem and prepare Nigerian youths for employment in agricultural occupations. Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme which was introduced as a solution to the problem was froth with a lot of problems to the extent that the desired results are not achieved. This paper looked at the models of COE, justification for making COE an integral part of Agricultural Education Curriculum and the requirements for effectively employing COE in preparing Nigerian youths for employment in agricultural occupations. It recommended among others that there should be a thorough review of the agricultural curriculum by experts to adequately accommodate the work experience aspect, that vocationally competent teachers and occupationally experienced coordinators should be employed. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n4p85