A quick observation in this modern world makes one realize the great problem of leisure time that is upon us. Man Is working fewer hours and retirements are at a younger age. How man finds himself poorly prepared. To cope with the situation. In our schools today millions of dollars are spent teaohing art, crafts, dramatics. music, and physical education in an attempt to train for leisure, yet we spend. a comparatively little amount of money for continuing these activities in out-of-school hours.

Alfalfa is Generally regarded as one of the world's most valuable cultivated forage crops. Few crops, if any, are equal to it in capacity to produce heavy yields of highly nutritious, palatable feed. A combination of desirable attributes as a forage plant and adaptation to a wide diversity of soil and climatic conditions has led to the use of alfalfa in the world to an extent probably exceeding that of any other single legume or grass. Alfalfa constantly proves itself as a valuable feed for most types of livestock. This is especially true in the states where a large amount of hay is harvested and stored for the wintering of livestock, and where it is dehydrated, ground and incorporated into poultry rations. As better methods are developed for the harvesting, handling and storage of alfalfa so as to retain maximum nutrient value, its importance will constatly increase. The nutrient value of the hay may be influenced by the variety of alfalfa grown as shown by Thompson (1949) and the fertility level of the soil as shown by several authors encluding Barakat (1950), kashemsri (1952) and Jones (1953). Because of alfalfa's growing importance it is desirable to determine the most economical methods of producing maximum yields of hay with high nutritive value.

This thesis was generated from an action research project, the aim of which was to improve the learning process at the Polytechnic of Agriculture, University of Jember, East Java. The proposition argued is that the implementation of learner-centred approaches in a formal tertiary education setting will assist educators and learners to meet their needs. Further, the approaches will motivate participants in the learning process to be both self-responsible and self-directed learners. Participatory approaches were utilised to induce improvement in the Polytechnic's practices, student satisfaction and contributions to learning by the outside community. Participants included students, the Director, the Associate Director for Academic and Head of School. Information was also collected from outsiders. The outcomes from the project were: students were responsible for their own learning; staff were able to act as professional facilitators; and curriculum development. There are still some unresolved issues, and it was recommended that further research of effectiveness of learning approaches in formal tertiary education needs to be carried out. / Master of Science (Hons)

This dissertation is the documentation of a participative learning project with the purpose of facilitating improvement in farming and agricultural development work in the Hohoe district of Ghana. This study was done in a context in which (a)agricultural production is carried out by small scale farmers who depend on social networking at the village level, for the distribution and management of agricultural resources, and on local knowledge for productive purposes; (b)government efforts at agricultural development is implemented through the activitiesof its agricultural development agencies - Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MIST).Participative learning, based on the logic and concepts of action research, experiential learning and critical systems learning, was used as a methodological framework. The conclusion drawn from this inquiry is that participative learning is a legitimate and an effective way of facilitating the development of food and other agricultual production. The challenge is therefore for individuals and organizations involved in the development of agricultural production to establish suitable processes and relationships to support participative learning. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of the investigation was to develop a profile of characteristics, perceptions and expectations of high school students involved in the Washington Tech Prep in Agriculture Statewide Articulation Program (TPAG). The investigation involved nine individual interviews, the responses of 165 students to a forced response survey instrument, and a concluding group interview of a group of students who had previously responded to the survey instrument. The criterion for inclusion in the study was involvement with the Tech Prep in Agriculture Articulation program. Thus, participation was purposeful. The subject students, who were involved in a career cluster-specific program, displayed a rich range of career aspirations and educational characteristics. Career aspirations were not limited to the agricultural career cluster and ranged from accountant to x-ray technician. The subject students came from all four quartiles of the high school population and their future educational aspirations included apprenticeship, community/technical college, four year college, and post-graduate programs. Most students aspired to post-secondary education at a community, technical, or four year college. Of those aspiring to a post-secondary education, most aspired to a community/technical college education. Surveyed students rated the importance of 24 skills. Workplace skills such as working with others, communications, and the ability to learn rated highest. Foundation skills such as basic mathematics, creativity, and computer usage rated well. Skills related to specific careers fell lower on the composite ratings. Rated lowest were the appreciation of art, music, literature, plays, movies, and TV. Students rated parents, high school teachers, and young people working in the student's area of career interest the highest as providers of information on education and careers. Individuals such as media journalists and politicians whom society might consider good advisors were not trusted by nearly one of three studied students. The investigation led to almost immediate improvements in the TPAG Program, including modification of a core course to better reflect student career interests, publication of program literature in Spanish, and gender balancing of images used in brochures. Recommendations for further research into student characteristics, the dynamics of student career selection, and high school career cluster educational models were presented. / Graduation date: 1996

Eurocentrism suggests a western model of daily life that should be adopted, because it is seen as the only solution to the world's challenges. Studies identified that students' perceptions of their own global awareness and attitudes toward internationalism reflected ideas of Eurocentrism, and agricultural students exhibited limited international experience and backgrounds. Persaud and others posited that Eurocentric views held by students may be associated with historical socio-cultural conditioning. The purpose of this study was to determine college students' Eurocentric attitudes about agriculture, the factors influencing those views, and how students' attitudes differed between grade levels. A stratified random sample of students (N = 166) was asked to complete an online questionnaire. The instrument measured students' Eurocentric attitudes about agriculture using a Likert-type five-point scale. Students responded whether they strongly agreed, agreed, had no opinion, disagreed, or strongly disagreed with 16 Eurocentric statements about agriculture. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), radar plots) were used to analyze the data. This study showed that selected students had Eurocentric attitudes about agriculture. While upperclassmen held some less Eurocentric attitudes about agriculture than those of underclassmen, Eurocentric attitudes were still represented. Students generally agreed and sometimes strongly agreed with the 16 proposed Eurocentric statements.

Leadership has been a foundational component of secondary agricultural education and teachers are recognized as the program leader; furthermore, agriculture teachers are expected to develop leadership in their students. However, research examining the leadership style of agriculture teachers has not been fully vetted. The purpose of this study was threefold: to examine transformational leadership in secondary agricultural education from philosophical, qualitative, and quantitative perspectives. The study was conducted through a qualitative case study of an agricultural education program at the local level and through a quantitative study of secondary agricultural educators at the national level. The philosophical portion of the study gave an overview of the agricultural education model and the transformational leadership approach. A dynamic model was developed for agricultural education which places an emphasis on the leadership approach of the agricultural educator. The Transformational Leadership and Community Impact (TLCI) Model was developed to provide a more holistic approach for operating a high quality secondary agricultural education program. The qualitative portion of the study was a case study to examine the leadership styles of two agriculture teachers in a high quality secondary agriculture program. The transformational leadership approach of Bass and Avolio provided the framework to explore the leadership styles of the agriculture teachers as perceived by those closely associated with the agriculture program. The results of this case study suggest that the transformational leadership style of the agriculture teachers was a positive and effective way to lead. The quantitative portion of the study sought to identify the preferred leadership style of a random sample of agricultural educators across the nation who taught secondary agriculture during the 2008-2009 school year. Data were collected online using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Descriptive statistics were used for reporting the demographic and personal characteristics of respondents. Mean scores were calculated to determine the leadership style and leadership factors of the agriculture teachers. The study concluded that secondary agricultural educators were more transformational in their preferred style in contrast to transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. The highest mean score for a factor in transformational leadership was Individualized Consideration and the highest mean score for a factor in transactional leadership was Contingent Reward.

Many agricultural educators fail to integrate core subject concepts into their classrooms. Current research addresses the perceptions of agricultural educators regarding core subject integration, but little research notes the barriers that are identified in the perception studies and the action of agricultural educators needed to overcome those barriers. The purpose of this study was to identify the path progressive agricultural educators, who are successful in integrating core subject concepts, particularly STEM, in their classroom followed. Additionally, to determine the tools and resources the progressive agricultural educators believe other agricultural educators need in order to follow a similar path. Overall the participants in the study all followed similar paths to become progressive in academic integration. All participants appeared to be highly self-motivated individuals because they seek out professional development opportunities in order to continuously improve the teaching in their classrooms and increase rigor within their curriculum. Collaboration between agricultural educators and core subject educators is crucial to increasing rigor in the agricultural education classroom (Myers & Thompson, 2008). Administrators at the participating schools were supportive of the idea of academic integration in the agricultural science classroom. According to the participants, longer professional development workshops are needed for teachers to successfully advance in the area of academic integration along with resource sharing opportunities between other agricultural educators and potentially core subject teachers. The participants all possess adequate facilities to conduct academic integration and believe available facilities and budgets affect the success of academic integration, because without proper facilities and supplies it is difficult for teachers to incorporate inquiry based instruction. According to the participants budgets also are a constraint for teachers when attempting to advance. If the teacher’s budget does not allow for extra purchases, then the teacher should take it upon themselves to seek out additional fiscal support to assist in classroom instruction, by writing grants or asking the local community for support.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-228) and index.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-149). Also available on the Internet.