Agricultural Education Students Research Articles

Preference for Auditory Learning Style among University Students: A Comparative Study of Full-Time and Part-time Agricultural Education and Extension Students at Egerton University, Kenya

Preference for Auditory Learning Style among University Students: A Comparative Study of Full-Time and Part-time Agricultural Education and Extension Students at Egerton University, Kenya

The Interaction of Learning Style on Measures of Successful Intelligence in Secondary Agriculture Students Exposed to Experiential and Direct Instruction

Understanding the teaching and learning paradigm is a relentless search for educators. Because individual students bring their own learning style preferences to the learning environment, teachers are asked to consider and even adjust their teaching to these preferences to improve student learning. In Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning theory, learners have preferences for how they grasp and transform information. These considerations have implications for students’ success, or lack thereof, in the classroom. This study determined the interactions that existed between learning style and successful intelligence of secondary agricultural education students. No statistically significant differences were found regarding teaching approaches and students’ preferred method of grasping information. However, statistically significant interactions were identified related to students’ preferences for transforming information and performance on an analytical assessment. Recommendations point to infusing variability in the classroom, especially in how students are asked to transform the information they have grasped previously. Further research should focus on the motivational outcomes resulting from experiential instruction delivered to students of varying learning styles.

Determining the effects of the smartphone as a learning tool on the motivation of school-based agricultural education students in Louisiana.

Determining the effects of the smartphone as a learning tool on the motivation of school-based agricultural education students in Louisiana.

Assessing the Effects of the Smartphone as a Learning Tool on the Academic Achievement of School-Based Agricultural Education Students in Louisiana

The purpose of this preexperimental study was to determine the effects of a blended learning environment on school-based agricultural education students’ ability to identify 30 species of trees by leaves. Louisiana agriculture teachers were recruited based on district policy regarding whether students could use smartphones for learning in the classroom. The treatment group utilized smartphone technology to aid in the identification of tree species, while the comparison group utilized traditional, printed materials. All students were taught via guided inquiry and engaged in multiple formative assessments during the course of the research study. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups on the posttest tree leaf identification. It is recommended that future research be conducted over a longer duration of time to better measure long-term performance and learning gains. Further, more research should be conducted to determine if motivational differences exist based on utilizing smartphones for learning. Teachers who desire to incorporate the smartphone into blended learning environments can do so without diminishing student achievement.

Effects of Question Difficulty and Post-Question Wait-Time on Cognitive Engagement: A Psychophysiological Analysis

Educational research surrounding teaching methods and accepted practices is continually needed to improve teaching and teacher preparation programs. The revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is often used by teachers in question development. The effectiveness of these questions are often dependent, not on the question alone, but also in how the question is presented. One component of implementing effective questioning is the use of wait-time. Wait-time is the amount of time a teacher waits for a student response after having posed a question. Experts have recommended wait times ranging from three and five seconds in length. The purpose of this study was to utilize a psychophysiological measure of cognitive resource allocation (heart rate) to provide evidence of the magnitude and duration of cognitive engagement elicited after posing questions and to determine an appropriate amount of post-question wait-time needed by undergraduate agricultural education students. Study results suggest that students were cognitively engaged for two to three seconds during the wait-time that followed a question. Additionally, students re-engaged cognitively after eight seconds of wait-time. The results of this study provide unique evidence in assisting teachers with effectively employing wait-time strategies.

An Analysis of Education-related Policies Regarding the Participation Potential of Homeschool Students in Agricultural Education and FFA

The number of parents in the U.S. choosing to homeschool their children is steadily growing. With a strong demand for college graduates in food, agriculture and natural resources careers, there is an opportunity for homeschooled high school students to explore agricultural careers and develop entrepreneurship and leadership skills through Agricultural Education and FFA programs. The homeschool population has largely been an untapped market of potential participants for Agricultural Education and FFA programs. This is important because increasing access for all students, including non-traditional students, is an organizational goal for National FFA. Yet, few researchers have investigated current and potential intersections of school-based Agricultural Education, FFA participation, and homeschoolers. This study analyzed the potential of homeschool student participation in secondary agriculture programs, specifically school-based Agricultural Education and FFA, for all 50 states. Each state’s potential with regards to homeschool student participation was determined by a qualitative policy analysis utilizing evaluation coding. States were delineated into categories based upon their part-time public school enrollment policies, homeschooling regulations, and FFA membership requirements as defined in state FFA constitutions. Current program participation pathways were defined as well as strategies for increasing homeschool student awareness of and access to Agricultural Education programs and FFA membership.

Urban and Rural Latino Students’ Experiences in Agricultural Education: Toward Defining Rural Privilege

Agricultural Education programs continue to become more diverse and dynamic. However, diversity does not necessarily ensure equity or inclusion. As such, many programs strive to increase inclusive programming and ensure all students fully actualize the three-circle model of school based agricultural education. In some programs, students from rural and non-rural backgrounds coexist in a single setting. As part of a larger parallel mixed methods multiple case study investigating the experiences of Latino students in Agricultural Education, the data from this substudy found certain inequalities between the rural and non-rural students in three of the four cases. Three sub-themes emerged from the data: 1) Students from non-rural backgrounds may not possess the same understanding of agriculture and agricultural education as their urban counterparts; 2) Lack of privileged information may present a barrier to access, enrollment, and involvement in secondary agricultural education programs; and, 3) Students from non-rural backgrounds tend to report fewer opportunities and more barriers to fully actualizing the three-circle model. Thick, rich descriptions are provided of the participants’ perceptions of these inequalities. Furthermore, researchers offer a working definition of Rural Privilege along with suggestions for practice and further research.

Effectiveness of the settings-based intervention Shaping the Social on preventing dropout from vocational education: a Danish non-randomized controlled trial

BackgroundLack of formal education is an important social determinant of health inequality and represents a public health problem. School dropout is particularly common in vocational education; however few prevention programs targeting dropout in the vocational school setting have been evaluated. The purpose of the present study was to test the effect on school dropout of a settings-based intervention program (named Shaping the Social) that targeted the school organization in order to create social and supportive learning environments.MethodsA non-randomized controlled design including four large intervention schools and six matched-control schools was used. The target population was students in technical and agricultural vocational education, which is provided to students from age 16. Students were enrolled at school start. Register-based data (n = 10,190) was used to assess the effect on school dropout during a 2-year period. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated in logistic regression models, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, parental income, prior school dropout and type of basic course. Student survey (n = 2396) at 10-week follow-up was used to examine wellbeing at school (four subscales: school connectedness, student support, teacher relatedness, and valuing the profession) which was the hypothesized proximal intervention effect. As a secondary aim, we examined how the student wellbeing factors were associated with school dropout, independently of the intervention, and we explored whether the student wellbeing factors were potential mediators.ResultsThe present study showed an intervention effect on school dropout with dropout rates lower in intervention schools (36%) than control schools (40%) (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.99). We had no attrition on the dropout outcome. School connectedness mediated the intervention effect; no significant mediation effects were found for student support, teacher relatedness, and valuing the profession. Independently of the intervention, each student wellbeing factor prevented dropout.ConclusionsFindings from this study suggest that a comprehensive, multicomponent school-based intervention could prevent dropout from vocational education by promoting school connectedness; nevertheless, the dropout rate remained high. Our results point to the need to explore how to further improve the wellbeing at school among young people in vocational education.Trials registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN57822968. Registered 16 January 2013 (retrospective registered).

Students' Perceptions of School-Based Agricultural Education Through an Initial Early Field Experience

The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of students enrolled in an initial early field experience (EFE) in relation to the components of the agricultural education model. The students enrolled in the initial field experience were freshmen and sophomore students. The initial field experience course consisted of four face-to-face class meetings and a 12-hour initial field experience observation. Students’ photographed their perceptions of each component in the agricultural education model (classroom, SAE, FFA). The coding of reflective captions led to themes in three areas of the agricultural education model: (a) classroom themes were active learning, collaboration and facilities, (b) FFA themes were activities and opportunities, and (c) SAE themes were school based projects, awards/degrees, and the smallest circle. Overall, the EFE students used their photographs and descriptions to describe the learner-centered nature of the program. The EFE students described how the three components of the agricultural education model worked together to help school-based agricultural education (SBAE) students gain knowledge and experience. It is recommended that teacher educators incorporate photovoice in EFE programs to facilitate discussion of the initial perceptions of students.

International Agricultural Concepts through the Eyes of School-Based Agriculture Education Students

As demands to participate in a global economy increase, American students, who have limited knowledge of international agriculture concepts, must be better educated in terms of international awareness and understanding. The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes, beliefs, understanding, and desired instructional methods of Tennessee school-based agricultural education students in regards to international agriculture. A descriptive questionnaire comprised of 46 items, which measured four constructs, was used to collect data. The summated means of all students for attitudes, beliefs, understanding, and instruction were 3.81 (SD = .46), 3.81 (SD = .57), 3.76 (SD = .51), and 3.76 (SD = .47), respectively. Findings indicated students hold positive attitudes and beliefs toward international agricultural concepts. In an effort to remain a global leader in science and innovation and to meet the needs of the agricultural employers, State Departments of Education should consider providing resources for the development, testing, and implementation of internationalized curricula. If not currently internationalized, other countries should also consider internationalizing their curricula and determine how best to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in a globalized economy.

An Exploration of Relationships between Teaching Practices in Secondary Agricultural Education Programs and Student Engagement

This study was designed to explore the relationship between teacher practices and levels of student engagement in secondary agricultural education programs. Most researchers have agreed that student engagement at the secondary level may be measured through three constructs: cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, and emotional engagement. The intra-curricular components, namely the FFA organization and Supervised Agricultural Experience Program, make secondary agricultural education unique when compared to the foundational classes of math, science, and English. Respondents included a total of 152 agricultural education programs, which were randomly selected within 11 states to participate in the study. One class in each program was surveyed, which totaled 2,106 student respondents. Relationships were identified between specific teaching and advising practices performed by the secondary agricultural educator and their students’ level of engagement in classroom, FFA, and SAE activities. Each state is encouraged to replicate this study to determine student engagement levels in classroom, FFA and SAE activities, and then identify the causes and conditions leading to higher and lower levels of student engagement.

The Conflicts of Agriculture: Exploring the Agricultural Ideologies of University Agricultural Education Students

American agriculturalists are divided on a variety of issues related to production and consumption of food. Broadly speaking, two groups have emerged along two ideological lines: agrarian populism, which articulates conventional agricultural values, and neo-agrarianism, which shares some nonconventional agricultural values. Although both groups may find common ground, their ideological differences have led to conflict. Land-grant institutions are not immune to this type of conflict. This study examined how differing agricultural ideologies affected the experiences of agricultural education undergraduates at a land-grant institution. Two focus groups of agricultural education students at [University] were set apart to explore their agriculture values. Three themes emerged from this study: (a) acknowledgement of different agriculture values; (b) deeply rooted agriculture values; and (c) conflicts arising from differing agriculture values. Arguments from some students centered on agrarian populist ideological ideals, including traditional agriculture, farming, and rural lifestyle values and were often rooted in emotions. They were concerned about protecting a way of life, which they felt was being threatened by others. Some participants who had more neo-agrarian agriculture values did not freely present their arguments; but, seemed more comfortable promoting some of the more traditional agrarian populist ideals.

The Effects of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model on Successful Intelligence in Secondary Agriculture Students

Experiential learning is an important pedagogical approach used in secondary agricultural education. Though anecdotal evidence supports the use of experiential learning, a paucity of empirical research exists supporting the effects of this approach when compared to a more conventional teaching method, such as direct instruction. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an experiential learning approach to instruction on the successful intelligence of secondary agricultural education students, as measured across three domains – practical intelligence, analytical intelligence, and creative intelligence. It was concluded students who received the experiential learning treatment produced higher creativity scores that were domain specific. In addition, they scored higher in their practical use of knowledge when compared to their direct instruction counterparts. However, regardless of treatment, both direct instruction and experiential learning yielded similar analytical knowledge scores. Thus, it was recommended agricultural educators utilize a blended approach of instruction to provide balanced growth in all four modes of learning.

Agricultural Knowledge and Perceptions Among Students Enrolled in Agriscience Programs in Texas Counties Bordering Mexico

Hispanics are rapidly becoming the predominant ethnic group in Texas. While many secondary agriculture programs have seen increased participation by Hispanic students, in comparison to the demographics of Texas secondary school enrollment, Hispanics are underrepresented in agricultural education. As a result, agricultural education programs should continue to become more diverse and provide curriculum engaging to a wide variety of students. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to determine the agricultural literacy rates and perceptions of agriculture among Hispanic and non-Hispanic high school agriculture students enrolled in agriculture programs in Texas counties bordering Mexico. Results showed both groups have agricultural literacy rates congruent with previous studies; however, Hispanic students tended to have lower knowledge scores in all areas except agricultural career knowledge, as well as lower perceptions of agriculture. Agricultural career knowledge scores were the lowest area for all respondents. Recommendations include: 1) more research should be conducted to better determine levels of agricultural literacy in minority agricultural education students in Texas and other areas, and 2) more emphasis on agricultural career knowledge should be incorporated into agriscience courses to better inform students about postsecondary education and career options within the agricultural industry.

Students’ Motivations, Value, and Decision to Participate in Service-Learning at the National FFA Days of Service

As agricultural educators continue to seek methods of instruction to make learning impactful for students, service-learning has emerged as a desirable technique for meeting these educational objectives. A gap in the agricultural education literature exists, however, in terms of describing whether these learning experiences motivate students intrinsically. This investigation sought to describe FFA members’ level of intrinsic motivation resulting from participation in a service-learning activity, specifically the 2013 National FFA Days of Service. Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT) served as the theoretical base for understanding FFA members intrinsic motivation through three empirically based constructs interest, value, and perceived choice. Results from the study indicate FFA members were interested in and valued their service-learning experience; however, they had varied views in terms of their choice to participate. Findings also indicate a congruency between tenets of service-learning and axioms of SDT. We, therefore, offer the Intrinsic Service Learning Model in hopes of assisting practitioners of this pedagogical technique with delivering an intrinsically motivated service-learning experience for agricultural education students.

Determining the Effects of Cognitive Style, Problem Complexity, and Hypothesis Generation on the Problem Solving Ability of School-Based Agricultural Education Students

The purpose of this experimental study was to assess the effects of cognitive style, problem complexity, and hypothesis generation on the problem solving ability of school-based agricultural education students. Problem solving ability was defined as time to solution. Kirton’s AdaptionInnovation Inventory was employed to assess students’ cognitive style as either more adaptive or more innovative. Students were assigned randomly, by cognitive style, to solve either a simple or complex problem in small gasoline engines. A three-way independent analysis of variance revealed that a statistically significant interaction effect between the independent variables did not exist. Additionally, the two-way interactions between cognitive style and problem complexity, and cognitive style and hypothesis generation were not statistically significant. A statistically significant interaction effect did exist, however, between problem complexity and hypothesis generation. A simple main effects test revealed the students who hypothesized their problem correctly were the most efficient at solving the problem. Future research should require students who generate an initial incorrect hypothesis to re-hypothesize prior to attempting to solve the problem. Educators should encourage students to engage in metacognitive activities, such as hypothesizing, prior to engaging in problem solving activities.

Paxton Revisited: The Essence of the Lived Experiences of Urban Agricultural Education Students

The rapidly growing world population and need for more food and agricultural knowledge has inspired city dwellers to explore urban cultivation practices such as vertical farming and community gardening. Ultra-modern approaches to growing crops and livestock in urban highrise buildings has sparked the imagination of scientists, agriculturists, and engineers as well as rural and urban citizens in recent years. With this new piqued interest for urban agriculture, secondary urban Agricultural Education programs are in a prime position for growth. However, more research is needed to inform the profession regarding quality Agricultural Education growth in American cities. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to discover the essence of the shared experiences of urban students who were persistently enrolled in Agricultural Education. The findings, conclusions, implications, and recommendations associated with the study are reported as five interpretive themes of meaning including: (a) disorienting experience, (b) critical assessment, (c) shared experiences, (d) thoughtful planning, and (e) projected transformation. The essence of the shared lived experiences of Thomas High School Agricultural Education students was discovered through the lens of the Transformational Learning Theory and can be described best as a Journey Toward Transformation.

Benefits of Career Development Events as Perceived by School-Based, Agricultural Education Teachers

Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer with more than 24 million people working in some phase of the agricultural industry; however, the knowledge and skills needed in today’s agricultural industry are lacking. Assuring future generations are agriculturally literate and taught the significance of agriculture is crucial. Systematic delivery of the secondary agricultural education program has the potential to highlight mathematics and science through classroom and laboratory instruction, provide hands-on work experiences, and develop life skills that will help students discover their career paths. Through Career Development Events (CDEs), agricultural education programs have the potential to prepare students for more than 300 careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. However, school-based, agricultural education teachers and students may not understand fully the technical and nontechnical skills learned through CDEs. A Delphi approach was used in this study to identify benefits of CDEs, as perceived by school-based, agricultural education teachers in Oklahoma. Findings revealed teachers perceived CDEs supported the mission of career and technical education through students’ attainment of valuable career and life skills that are beneficial for employment in the agricultural industry; less agreement, however, existed about CDEs leading students to make career choices.

Mathematics Efficacy and Professional Development Needs of Wyoming Agricultural Education Teachers

School-based agricultural education programs provide contextualized learning environments for the teaching of core academic subject matter. This study sought to examine the mathematics efficacy and professional development needs of Wyoming agricultural education teachers related to teaching contextualized mathematics. Wyoming agricultural education teachers were moderately efficacious in personal mathematics teaching efficacy and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy. Professional development needs varied based upon the teachers’ selfefficacy scores. With that in mind, integrating mathematics concepts from the ACT college readiness assessment was found in the top five responses of all mathematics efficacy groups reported, while modifying instruction for special needs students was found in the top five responses in 3 out of 4 of the mathematics efficacy groups. Based on the results of this study, professional development related to teaching contextualized mathematics would benefit Wyoming’s school-based agricultural education teachers and students.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Higher Education: Advantages, Disadvantages, Conveniences and Limitations of Applying E-learning to Agricultural Students in Iran

The use of ICT in education has intensely reformed learning and teaching processes. Furthermore, it has expanded new opportunities for learning and accessing to educational resources beyond those traditionally available. In this condition, the use of ICT in education creates a method of training called E-learning. This paper attempts to investigate advantages, disadvantages, conveniences and limitations of applying ICT in conjunction with E-learning to agricultural students. The paper accentuates the role of ICT on Iranian students in Agricultural Higher Education in particular.