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The purpose of the study was to examine the teacher education curricula in exemplary agricultural teacher education programs. I identified eleven exemplary agricultural teacher education programs through a call for nominations to a national listserv of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE). Course syllabi and course checksheets provided by each of the selected institutions were analyzed to determine patterns of professional course requirements and specific professional topics at each of the universities. Competencies were derived from assignments or topics expressed in course syllabi. Data analysis established common themes among the programs studied. The resulting list of professional topics was examined to yield five overarching curricular areas: Experiential Components, Foundations, Program and Curriculum Planning, Teaching and Methods, and Technology. Microlesson presentations and managing Supervised Agricultural Experience programs were the only professional topics addressed in all programs studied. The study also revealed that professional course titles were very different at the participating institutions. No institution covered all of the topics. Treatment of topics among institutions varied widely. Although literature reveals that the field of education is trying to establish itself as a profession, few of the programs studied offered courses focusing solely on professional development, professional organizations, or professional ethics. Many of the programs studied did address professionalism issues, but it may have been provided in only one lecture. Using the course syllabi provided by each exemplary university, I was able to identify 16 courses taught in pre-service agricultural education and 118 common topics. Not all topics were addressed at each university nor were all courses presented. Microlesson presentation and Supervised Agricultural Experience Programs were the only two topics all universities addressed. From the 118 general topics, five general curricular clusters were established: teaching methods, program and curriculum planning, foundations, experiential components, and technology. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to analyze outstanding agricultural education teachers' attitudes toward mathematics integration. The researcher also determined the outstanding agricultural teachers' level of mathematics integration into each course currently taught. An investigation into the collaboration efforts being made between the agricultural education and mathematics department was also included. The researcher identified the outstanding teachers' perceived needs related to mathematics integration and provided baseline data as the agricultural education instructors in Virginia increase their integration of mathematics. The researcher utilized an electronic questionnaire completed by 25 outstanding agricultural education teachers and follow-up interviews of the 5 teachers who reported integrating mathematics at the highest level. The agricultural teachers reported having favorable attitudes towards the integration of mathematics into the agricultural education curriculum. The results of the data analysis indicated that there was a negative relationship between age and percentage of mathematics integration. All of the agricultural education teachers thought that their efforts to integrate mathematics have helped their students increase their mathematics achievement levels, but they have no concrete evidence. There were several recommendations for implementation, which included encouraging agricultural education teachers to continue to integrate mathematics and other academic areas. Textbook manufacturers, state agricultural leaders and state agricultural education curriculum specialists need to continue to develop curriculum and other education materials that emphasize academic integration. Recommendations for research that emerged from the study included investigating the attitudes of agricultural teachers toward the integration of other academic areas and the mathematics teachers' attitudes toward mathematics integrated into the agricultural education curriculum. Another researcher could investigate the students' attitudes toward receiving academic credits for enrolling in agricultural education courses. There were several implications that rose from this study. Future research could investigate whether the teachers would increase their rates of mathematic integration if ample materials that integrate mathematics are developed for their use. The research findings related to the percentage of mathematics integration in each course taught give curriculum specialists insight into the courses in which the agricultural education teachers are struggling to integrate mathematics. This researcher also identified that these adopters of mathematics integration into agricultural education fell within the implementation stage of the stages of adoption. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1958. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 223-229).

<p>Recent attention to socio-scientific issues such as sustainable agriculture, environmental responsibility and nutritional health has spurred a resurgence of public interest in gardening and cooking. Seen as contexts for fostering scientific literacy?the knowledge domains, methodological approaches, habits of mind and discourse practices that reflect one?s understanding of the role of science in society, gardening and cooking are under-examined fields in science education, in part, because they are under-utilized pedagogies in school settings. Although learning gardens were used historically to foster many aspects of scientific literacy (e.g., cognitive knowledge, norms and methods of science, attitudes toward science and discourse of science), analysis of contemporary studies suggests that science learning in gardens focuses mainly on science knowledge alone. Using multiple conceptions of scientific literacy, I analyzed qualitative data to demonstrate how exploration, talk and text fostered scientific literacy in a school garden. Exploration prompted students to engage in scientific practices such as making observations and constructing explanations from evidence. Talk and text provided background knowledge and accurate information about agricultural, environmental and nutritional topics under study. Using a similar qualitative approach, I present a case study of a third grade teacher who explicitly taught food literacy through culinary arts instruction. Drawing on numerous contextual resources, this teacher created a classroom community of food practice through hands-on cooking lessons, guest chef demonstrations, and school-wide tasting events. As a result, she promoted six different types of knowledge (conceptual, procedural, dispositional, sensory, social, and communal) through leveraging contextual resources.This case study highlights how food literacy is largely contingent on often-overlooked mediators of food literacy: the relationships between participants, the activity, and the type of knowledge invoked. Scientific literacy in food education continues to be a topic of interest in the fields of public health and of sustainable agriculture, as well as to proponents of the local food movement. This dissertation begins to map a more cohesive and comprehensive approach to gardening and cooking implementation and research in school settings.

Thesis (MA Library and Information Studies)--University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (M.S.)- - University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, 2005. / Tables. Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-78)

Texas A&M University of the United States and the Institute National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT) of Tunisia established a collaborative relationship of mutual exchange of information and ideas for the further advancement of both universities. The researcher worked closely with these universities to conduct a qualitative study in Tunisia to determine the effectiveness of agricultural institutions working to further development in that country. The emphasis of the study was on the transference of knowledge and innovations from the research level through extension to the farmers and other end users. The triangle of teaching, research, and extension provided a base perspective. The researcher interviewed 37 respondents, including researchers, extension personnel, administration, professors, and farmers. From data that respondents provided, the researcher used a constant comparative method to organize results into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the agricultural institutions as a system. Overarching themes included a pointed focus on meeting farmer needs, but this desire was hindered from being carried out fully due to complex communication systems and an organizational structure that did not facilitate change. Hope did abound for Tunisian agriculturalists because the opportunities available through globalization and international collaboration far outweighed any possible threats to development, such as fierce competition in trade and lack of quality water. The researcher also made specific recommendations based on the information gathered in the study. These recommendations were based on the findings of the study, and they were directed to leaders within the Tunisian agriculture system and other agriculturalists wishing to further development in countries facing similar situations as Tunisia.

While our schools across the United States evidently are witnessing an influx of students from diverse backgrounds, the need to address the issue of diversity among public school teachers is critical for inclusive and equitable schools. The purpose of this study was to explore and analyze Texas secondary agricultural education teachers' attitudes toward diversity inclusion in Texas secondary agricultural education programs. Using a web-based questionnaire, the researcher employed a nonproportional stratified random sampling technique, and 232 secondary agricultural education teachers participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used for reporting the demographic and personal characteristics of respondents. Mean scores were used to assess teachers' perceptions of the benefits of diversity inclusion, perceptions of the barriers of diversity inclusion, and perceptions of proposed solutions to increase diversity inclusion in Texas secondary agricultural education programs. The sample consisted of 170 males and 45 females. The ethnic distribution of the sample was 90.5% White/European American, 6.2% Hispanic/Latino American, 1.9% Native American, 0.9% African American, and 0.5% Asian American. Respondents agreed that secondary agricultural education programs can benefit students of color and students with disabilities. Respondents also agreed that some of the barriers that prevent diversity inclusion in agricultural education include the lack of information about agricultural education, negative parental attitudes about agricultural education, and not being accepted by peers. Respondents indicated that the following is needed for all students to achieve in school: (a) educators, parents, and policymakers must develop strategies to address the different learning styles of all students; (b) agricultural educators should encourage and strive to increase students? of color membership in FFA; (c) teachers should become familiar with students of color represented in their classrooms in order to promote an atmosphere of acceptance and cooperation; and (d) agricultural educators should increase recruitment efforts to promote diversity inclusion must occur. The study also indicated that statistically significant differences in means scores existed based upon certain personal characteristics in regards to the Benefits, Barriers, and Solutions scales.

Despite the plethora of strategies used to educate urban foresters, many of the training programs offered are not being evaluated for effectiveness, regardless of the entity offering the training, which limits important information on whether the programs were worth the dollars spent. This study evaluates the effectiveness the Municipal Forester's Institute (MFI) had on its participants. The MFI was developed as an in-depth leadership institute to train municipal foresters in both the managerial and leadership aspects of urban forestry. The research subjects in this study were the participants of the 2006 MFI. The satisfaction survey measured the participant satisfaction rate on a 5-point Likert scale (1= Not at all, 2 = Slightly Satisfied, 3= Somewhat Satisfied, 4= Mostly Satisfied, 5=Completely Satisfied), and yielded an overall score of "Mostly Satisfied" (4.56). A five point Likert scale online evaluation was used to measure the behavior change, and change in knowledge of the study (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Somewhat Agree, 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4 = Somewhat Agree, 5 = Strongly agree). The behavior change and increase in knowledge portion of the survey was divided into categories that mirrored the objectives of the study. These results had statistically significant increases, which were determined not to have happened by chance. The final section of the survey included three openended questions that participants identified as overwhelmingly positive impacts that the trainings had on their position, career, and personal life. Overall, the stakeholders of the Society of Municipal Arborists can be assured that the participants of the 2006 Municipal Forester Institute were satisfied with the training; had a substantial increase in knowledge; and positive change in behavior, which acknowledge this as an effective training program that had a positive impact on its participants.