Agricultural In-Service Needs of Introductory Level Career and Technical Education Teachers

AGRICULTURAL IN-SERVICE NEEDS OF INTRODUCTORY LEVEL CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS Jolene Christensen, Teacher Rocky Mountain Middle School Brian K. Warnick, Assistant Professor Utah State University Debra Spielmaker, Director Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Rudy S. Tarpley, Director New Mexico FFA/Agricultural Education Gary S. Straquadine, Professor Utah State University Abstract This study identified and prioritized the agricultural in-service needs of introductory level career and technical education teachers in Utah. The Utah State Board of Education requires that all seventh grade students complete an introductory career and technical education course as their first formal career exploration experience. One component of the course is exploration of the agriculture industry. In order to effectively help students explore agricultural opportunities, teachers, most of whom have little or no formal training in agriculture, must be prepared in their knowledge of the agriculture industry and careers. To meet the needs of teachers, the state office of education has requested relevant, meaningful in-service. A survey based on the Borich needs assessment model was used to determine areas in which teachers need additional support. The “new and emerging technologies in agriculture” standard emerged as an area of weakness. Teachers generally held positive attitudes toward the importance of teaching agriculture, which should be used to promote future in-service programs. Introduction helping students understand agriculture and its many dimensions‖ (Knobloch & Martin, The first goal of the National Strategic 2000, p. 24). The responsibilities to build Plan and Action Agenda for Agricultural links in the chains of knowledge that will Education is, ―An abundance of highly educate today‘s students and enable them to motivated, well-educated teachers in all become agriculturally literate rests with our disciplines, pre-kindergarten through adult, educators. This responsibility belongs not providing agriculture, food, fiber and natural only to our agriculture instructors, but resources systems education‖ (National teachers at every level from kindergarten Council for Agricultural Education, 2000, p. through the 12th grade. 4). The mission of this same strategic plan is Agricultural knowledge that used to be to prepare students ―for successful careers common amongst most Americans has and a lifetime of informed choices in the disappeared with each passing generation. global agriculture, food, fiber and natural ―Educational need arises from the inability resources systems‖ (p. 3). of the American public to receive “Teachers require an awareness about agricultural knowledge from everyday agriculture if they are to be successful at experiences as they would have in previous Journal of Agricultural Education 1 Volume 50, Number 4, 2009 Christensen et al. Agricultural In-service Needs of… decades‖ (Meunier, Talbert, & Latour, 2002, students. If the instructors are unable to p. 49). In 1988, the National Research accurately represent or portray agriculture Council recommended that ―beginning in and its career possibilities, the agriculture kindergarten and continuing through twelfth industry may suffer due to a reduced number grade, all students should receive some of qualified applicants for future jobs. systematic instruction about agriculture‖ (p. Trexler, Johnson, and Heinze (2000) 2). Not only do we need to encourage found that elementary and middle school agricultural literacy in today‘s students, we teachers ―perceived that students do not also must encourage some of these students understand where their food comes from and to choose agriculture as a career field. Gibbs do not care how it arrives at their table‖ (p. (2005) stated: 34). Sadly enough, many of the teachers educating the youth who will someday be Traditionally, students have been our politicians and policy makers are also strongly encouraged at the high school without basic agricultural knowledge. level to consider careers and choose Contributing to the problem of agricultural courses that would fortify occupations of illiteracy in today‘s society is not only interest. Today, administrators and ignorance, but apathy as well. In a nation educators across the nation realize that with the safest, most abundant food supply, developing students‘ interest must be agriculture is often taken for granted. addressed earlier-at the middle school Additionally, test scores in the core level. (p. 28) academic subjects have taken priority in our schools (Elliot & Zimmerman, 2002). In addition to other technical areas, the Introducing agriculture into a curriculum is Utah State Board of Education has often viewed as ―just one more thing to do.‖ attempted to introduce agricultural literacy Balschweid, Thompson, and Cole (1998) and agriculture career awareness by found classroom teachers felt the greatest implementing the Career and Technical barriers to implementing agriculture in Education, Introduction program (CTE, classrooms were time to make the necessary Introduction). The CTE, Introduction curricular changes and locating agricultural program is a required course for all seventh materials and information. Meunier et al. grade students in the public school system. (2002) contend that ―these barriers would be The program, taught by a team of certified greatly lessened if teachers were career and technical education teachers, is agriculturally aware, meaning they intended to expose students to a variety of possessed a better working knowledge of careers. The teacher team that delivers the agriculture and agricultural practices‖ (p. CTE, Introduction career exploration course 52). includes family and consumer science, ―Training institutions search continually business education, and technology for ways to improve their training programs‖ education teachers. This team of teachers is (Borich, 1980, p. 39). In-service and required to deliver a minimum of 15 hours professional development activities are often of agricultural career exploration instruction. the primary method used in attempting to Other career and technical education areas improve teacher quality. Borich introduced a that are explored include health care, model for conducting follow-up studies after marketing, and personal finance. The in-service or training had been attended. He agriculture standards and objectives have wrote that the basis of his assessment model been developed and grouped so that was to identify the difference between ―what technology education teachers cover the is‖ and ―what should be.‖ Furthermore, agricultural technology standard, family and Borich stated that a training need can be consumer sciences teachers cover the food defined as, ―a discrepancy between an science and nutrition standard, and business educational goal and trainee performance in teachers cover the agricultural business relation to this goal‖ (p. 39). He further standard. The CTE, Introduction program stated that the model ―yields more data, and and its teachers have the potential to have a more understandable data, than many other significant effect on the career choices of types of follow-up questionnaires‖ (p. 42). Journal of Agricultural Education 2 Volume 50, Number 4, 2009 Christensen et al. Agricultural In-service Needs of… The Borich model suggests the following provided. To achieve this purpose the steps: (1) list competencies, (2) survey following objectives served as guidelines: in-service teachers, (3) rank competencies, (4) compare high priority competencies with 1. Describe selected personal and training program content, and (5) revise professional characteristics of CTE, program or revise competency. The Introduction instructors. competencies with the highest ranking 2. Determine the perceived importance should be considered the highest priority for of agricultural literacy competencies in-service. related to the goals and objectives set Since the introduction of the forth by the Utah State Board of Borich (1980) model, many researchers Education. have used it for determining in-service 3. Determine the perceived ability needs of agriculture teachers and extension levels of CTE, Introduction staff (Barrick & Doerfert, 1989; Barrick, instructors related to the agricultural Ladewig, & Hedges, 1983; Edwards & literacy competencies based on goals Briers, 1999; Garton & Chung, 1997; and objectives set forth by the Utah Joerger, 2002; Johnson, Schumacher, & Board of Education. Stewart, 1990; Layfield & Dobbins, 2002; 4. Determine and prioritize in-service McDonald & Lawver, 1997; Newman & needs of CTE, Introduction teachers Johnson, 1994; Sorenson, Tarpley, & in relation to the goals and objectives Warnick, 2005; Waters & Haskell, 1989). set forth by the Utah Board of Barrick et al. studied different approaches to Education. identifying in-service needs of agriculture teachers. The researchers sought to test the Methods and Procedures effectiveness of the needs assessment model by comparing it with a more direct The population for the study consisted of approach using only one ranking. The all CTE, Introduction teachers in Utah (N = conclusion of their study verified the 515). CTE, Introduction teachers were effectiveness of Borich‘s model in assessing identified as those who taught at least one in-service needs of teachers. They stated, class of CTE, Introduction during the 2005- ―The procedures of using only the 2006 school year. The list of CTE, importance rankings or the knowledge Introduction teachers was

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