Secondary Agricultural Programs Research Articles

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.

Successful Secondary Agricultural Programs Outside the Classroom: A View of Champions

This study sought to identify traits and characteristics of secondary agricultural education programs contributing to success. A three round modified Delphi survey technique was utilized to frame this study. The researchers utilized purposive sampling to select members for the jury comprised of secondary agricultural instructors identified as high quality (n = 65). High quality programs were determined based on the results of various activities and competitions a program would participate in including CDE’s, LDE’s, Agriscience Fair Divisions, State Fair livestock shows, State Officer Elections, and National Chapter Awards. Data collected identified important factors associated with high performing SAE programs and that students should be actively involved with an SAE project. Additionally, important factors included that students should experience some kind of personal growth as they develop through a program and that students should be taught and prepared so they are able to take part in both program activities and eventually a career. The FFA program should be operated so that it is molding students into productive members of society. The FFA advisor should also be passionate and have a willingness and availability to work with members. Success does not only rely on instructors but is also dependent upon students.

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.

Factors Contributing to Attrition as Reported by Leavers of Secondary Agriculture Programs

There exists in our profession a persistent shortage of quality teachers in our high school agricultural education classrooms. A multitude of studies have identified challenges faced by agriculture teachers, however, few, if any, have investigated reasons for attrition by directly asking leavers why they left. This study sought to identify reasons for leaving the profession as perceived by former high school agriculture teachers. Nine former secondary agriculture teachers were interviewed. Themes emerging from this qualitative case study include 1) passions for the profession, 2) alternative opportunities, 3) expectations, 4) burdens, retrospectively and 5) people. Teachers were passionate about their students, their content area and competition inherent in agricultural education. All of the participants had chosen to accept alternative employment opportunities. Former teachers recalled having high expectations for themselves and their career, and perceiving others to have high expectations as well. The teachers recalled the burdens of their job retrospectively, and people played an integral role in their career as well as their decision to leave the profession. Former teachers were satisfied while teaching, but found greater benefit in alternative opportunities. Recommendations include encouraging realistic expectations, developing mentor programs for novice teachers, and strengthening the benefits of remaining in the profession.

Conflicts of Time: Examining School Schedules in Secondary Agricultural Programs

The purpose of this study was to examine how school schedules can or cannot be justified through the perspective of student performance on state core content assessments and occupational skills standards assessments. This study utilized the Theory of Power in Education when considering school schedules as a means to student success on core content and occupational skills assessment. The population of this study consisted of secondary agricultural programs (n = 136) across the state of Kentucky. The survey revealed the majority of secondary agricultural programs work on a seven-period day. Secondary agricultural programs received the highest pass rate on the production livestock occupational skill standards assessment. The majority of students received a passing score on the state mandated assessment area of reading no matter the schedule. Less than half of agricultural students received passing scores in Math, Science, and Social Studies. Trimester schedules had the lowest pass rate in the areas of Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Writing while only outperforming 4x4 block in Math by one percentile.

Knowledge and Perceptions of Visual Communications Curriculum in Arkansas Secondary Agricultural Classrooms: A Closer Look at Experiential Learning Integrations

The University of Arkansas developed and integrated visual communications curriculum related to agricultural communications into secondary agricultural programs throughout the state. The curriculum was developed, pilot tested, revised, and implemented by selected secondary agriculture teachers. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ knowledge prior to the program, after the curriculum was taught, and after participation in a day-long experiential learning activity utilizing skills and competencies taught in the curriculum. This study also assessed students’ perceptions of the program and application of skills and competencies learned in the curriculum through a content analysis of short promotional videos created in the program. Eleven schools participated in the study with 106 students represented. Analysis of student test scores noted a significant effect between pre-, post-, and/or delayed-post scores for each curriculum unit (photography, writing, and videography). Overall, students had positive perceptions of the curriculum and the experiential (mobile classroom) learning activity. The content analysis noted that students were able to apply skills and competencies taught in the curriculum through short promotional videos about agriculture. This study found that the curriculum was successful in increasing student knowledge of visual communications as it relates

Beyond Mere Enrollment: Level of Youth Organization Participation as a Predictor of Collegiate Academic Success and Retention

Limited support exists documenting the value of secondary agriculture programs and participation in the National FFA Organization. To that end, the purpose of this study was to explore the suggested value in relationship to student performance and retention in college. The longitudinal trend–type study sought to determine if students who had been enrolled in a secondary agriculture program had greater academic performance during the first year of college. In addition, the study investigated whether a relationship existed between the level of student involvement in a secondary agriculture program and academic performance. Finally, the existence of a relationship between secondary agriculture enrollment and retention in college was examined. The target population for this ex–post facto study consisted of two time and place samples of entering college freshmen (1998 and 2003) at the University of Missouri. Findings revealed that enrollment in secondary agriculture did not consistently produce greater academic performance in college. Additionally, there was no conclusive relationship found between level of involvement in secondary agriculture and academic performance or retention in college.

Are Teachers Ready to Integrate Science Concepts into Secondary Agriculture Programs?

For the past two decades, the idea of integrating more science concepts into the secondary agriculture curriculum has gained support. The purpose of this study was to assess the confidence and competence of agriculture instructors to teach concepts related to science. The sample was derived from the population of agriculture instructors teaching in secondary schools of a selected Missouri. For this descriptive research, an instrument was developed to assess the instructors' perceived level of competence to teach selected grade level expectations (GLE) for science in grades 9 to 11. A second instrument, obtained from the American Board for Certification in Teacher Excellence, was used to assess the general biological science knowledge of the teachers. Agriculture instructors perceive that they are competent to teach nearly all of the selected concepts associated with the selected GLE. On the other hand, less than 10% of the teachers scored high enough on the examination to indicate proficient knowledge of biological science, raising questions regarding their competence to teach this subject matter.

Factors Influencing Career Choice Of Urban Agricultural Education Students

The purpose of the study was to identify factors influencing the career choice behaviors of students who graduated from an urban agricultural education program. A secondary purpose was to identify factors that discriminated between individuals who choose careers in agriculture and those who do not. Former students in the study indicated their parents and friends as the individuals most influencing their choice of a career. The events and experiences reported by former students who chose a career in agriculture focused around several themes which included career opportunities, high school educational experiences, and work experiences. Of the former students who did not choose a career in agriculture, events and experiences cited included having other career interests, a lack of interest in agriculture, and a lack of career opportunities. A discriminant analysis procedure was used to identify factors that discriminated between individuals who chose careers in agriculture and those who did not. Findings indicated that a discriminant model consisting of selected factors could not discriminate between former students who chose or did not choose a career in agriculture after they completed a secondary agricultural program.

Factors Influencing Enrollment In Agricultural Education Programs As Expressed By Iowa Secondary Agricultural Education Students

Secondary agricultural education students in Iowa were surveyed to determine factors that influenced their enrollment in agricultural education programs. Responses were collected from 5.5 Iowa secondary agriculture programs and 1429 students. The people who most influenced the respondents to enroll in agricultural education were parents, the agriculture instructor, a friend, and a former agricultural education student. The personal and organizationalfactors which most influenced the respondents to enroll in agricultural education were personal interests, possession of a farm background and of participating in an agriculture course. Students were most satisfied with FFA activities, contest activities, and the supervised agricultural experience program. They were least satisfied with classroom facilities, agricultural mechanics course work and leadership activities. It was recommended that Iowa agricultural educators maintain active recruitment programs that share information about the agricultural program with potential students, parents, school administrators and the public. They should analyze the mechanics phase of the program seeking ways to strengthen it and share information with counselors to use in their work of advising students.

Agricultural Education Teachers' Ability To Solve Agriculturally Related Mathematics Problems

The National Commission on Secondary Vocational Education (1984) made two important recommendations for curriculum. First, vocational courses should provide instruction and practice in the basic skills including mathematics. Second, students should be allowed to satisfy graduation requirements for basic skills courses including mathematics with selected vocational education courses. Agricultural educators have begun to embrace the practice of including academic skills, particularly those related to science and to a lesser degree those related to mathematics, in secondary agriculture programs. And the need for research in this area has become more apparent (Buriak & Shinn, 1991; Johnson, 1991). determine the mathematical problem-solving ability of high school and college students enrolled in agricultural mechanics courses (Gliem & Elliot, 1988; Gliem, Lichtensteiger & Hard, 1987; Gliem & Warmbrod, 1986). Findings have consistently revealed that the mathematical problem-solving ability of students is low. Only one study was identified that investigated the mathematical problem-solving ability of vocational agriculture teachers. Gliem and Persinger (1987) found that vocational agriculture teachers scored below an expected level of competence on a mathematical problem-solving test related to agricultural mechanics.