Culture is studied across many different disciplines and is viewed as a topic of great and valuable interest within research. Agricultural education has come to recognize the value of embracing a multicultural attitude and the need for recruitment of culturally diverse individuals. While definitions of culture can vary from individual to individual, understanding the degree which a topic has been researched within a discipline is necessary in order to know what direction future research should take. Therefore, this study presents the findings of research on culture within the Journal of Agricultural Education from 1960-2015. This study’s findings indicate that culture, as defined as a way of life that outlines how an individual acts, perceives, and believes, has been researched on a very limited basis within the Journal of Agricultural Education. However, findings also indicate that many tenets of culture have been researched and include diversity, multicultural education, inclusion, and teacher preparation. These findings lead to recommendations to expand the research within the topic of culture to include social aspects of culture and youth cultures.

This SSHRC and Pacific Leaders funded thesis summarizes participatory action research conducted in El Salvador between January 2008 and April 2009. This research resulted in a $355,000 proposal to the Canadian International Development Agency for a sustainable agriculture research and education centre in canton Agua Blanca, Morazán, El Salvador. The project is proposed by Canadian NGO, Rainbow of Hope for Children, in partnership with Salvadoran NGO, Fundahmer. Fundahmer owns 9.8 hectares of land in Agua Blanca. The researcher analysed practices at an existing Rainbow agriculture project in Izalco, and identified options for Agua Blanca by defining project goals and objectives, conducting a risk assessment, describing proposed centre activities, quantifying beneficiaries, assessing funding requirements, and developing performance measures. Funding was rejected, citing six sections that required additional information for second submission: sector and regional context, sustainability, gender, beneficiaries, performance measures, and environmental impacts. Seven recommendations are included to move project forward.

The purpose of this study was to assess planning and delivering agricultural extension activities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq for future program implementation. The study was a descriptive research and used a modified Delphi technique to identify needed improvements and highlight barriers in planning and delivering extension activities by the willingness of extension workers. The population of the study was 50 MOAWR purposely selected government employees consisted of 10 extension experts, 15 extension administrators, and 25 extension agents. The study used three rounds web-based survey questionnaires. In Round I, the panelists were responded to two open ended questions to identify needed improvements and barriers in planning and delivering extension activities. The gathered information from Round I was examined, organized, and combined to create the second questionnaire for Round II. In Round II, the panelists were indicated their levels of agreement or disagreement about each needed improvement and barrier. The study employed a six-Likert scale with 1=”Strongly Agree”, 2=”Agree”, 3=”Somewhat Agree”, 4=”Somewhat Disagree”, 5=”Disagree”, and 6=”Strongly Disagree”. The needed improvements and barriers that received two-thirds of agreement (numbers 1 and 2 in the six-point Likert scale) were used to create the third questionnaire for Round III. In Round III, panelists were developed consensus by rating the statements that received two-third agreement in Round II. Equally, the same Round II six-point Likert scale was used in Round III. The result findings of the study were revealed to the demands of extension policy implementation in the region. The results of the study were summarized in three overall implementation theme areas: community based program development, building capacity program, and institutional structuring and three distinct research areas: leadership in extension, personal traits of extension agents, and external communication. Furthermore, the results of the study provided key points and details for each implementation theme and distinct research area.

This study examined the role of literacy in enhancing rural people's capabilities for participation in Uganda's Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA), an intervention aimed at improving rural livelihoods through commercialising subsistence agriculture. Using Amartya Sen's capability approach, in which poverty is conceptualised to be a capability deprivation as the conceptual frame of reference, the study aimed at exploring how literacy facilitates or inhibits rural subsistence farmers' participation levels in PMA activities in Manibe Sub-County, Arua District. Using data collected from 54 research participants analysed interpretively, the study revealed that the majority of PMA activities demand a high degree of interaction with written materials, mostly in English, which created an unconducive atmosphere for the unschooled in the target group, thereby forcing them to depend on literacy mediators. It further revealed that there were more women than men participating in parish level activities which greatly decreased in favour of men at sub-county levels and above. It also found that farmers' groups were treated uniformly which negatively affects some of them in terms of access to resources and options. It further revealed that lack of supporting resources, stringent conditions for accessing Enterprise Development Funds, and difficulties in meeting farmers' co-funding requirements, were creating serious obstacles in undertaking group activities, hence making many potential participants avoid PMA activities. The main thesis in the study is that transforming rural subsistence producers into small-scale commercial farmers as a rural poverty reduction strategy, without providing them with the means to expand their basic capabilities so as to move out of capability deprivation, will not by itself increase rural incomes and reduce poverty. It is argued further that engaging the rural subsistence farmers in commercial agriculture will tend to enrich the educated few who are already better resourced. Since capability deprivation, amongst others, manifests itself through widespread illiteracy, the study recommends that efforts to eradicate rural poverty should focus on expanding the capabilities of the target group through building their literacy skills and improving their access to basic resources. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Agricultural education consists of three components: classroom instruction, FFA, and supervised agricultural experience (SAE). SAE is the experiential learning component in which students apply agricultural principles and concepts. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of Kentucky high school agriculture teachers toward the value of SAE, the quality components of SAE, and teacher satisfaction with SAE. A secondary purpose was to determine the status of SAE participation in Kentucky. This study concluded that Kentucky agriculture teachers perceive SAE as a valuable component of agricultural education. Moreover, teachers were in agreement with accepted quality standards for SAE programs, but the findings implied that other quality indicators may be valid. Furthermore, teachers were not satisfied with their SAE programs. A slight majority of students in Kentucky agricultural education programs have a SAE with the bulk of those SAEs categorized as either placement or entrepreneurship SAEs. Based on the conclusions, the author recommended that a SAE task force be created to address concerns related to SAE participation, student and teacher motivation to conduct SAE, state rewards for SAEs, and assessing the quality of SAE programs in Kentucky. KEYWORDS: Agricultural

Content knowledge preparation for teachers is a crucial component of the modal curriculum model for education. The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and quality of coursework preparation of pre-service University of Kentucky agriculture teachers influences their content knowledge as defined by the Praxis II agriculture exam scores. This study concluded that there was variability in coursework preparation of pre-service agriculture teachers at the University of Kentucky. Praxis II exam scores of pre-service teachers indicated that most students are meeting an adequate content knowledge level based on the exam material. It can also be concluded that the relationship between the Praxis II agriculture exam and agricultural content preparation was moderate at best. Based on the conclusions, it is recommended that changes be considered to either the agricultural education curriculum at the University of Kentucky or the Praxis II agriculture exam so that they are a reflection of each other. It is also recommended that the profession examine other variables in play that lead to proper preparation and re-evaluate students’ base knowledge upon entering college.

The purpose of this study is to determine if transformational leadership styles of agriculture teachers in Jessamine County has an impact on successful transitions of program completers. To be more specific, the focus was to look at agriculture teachers at Jessamine Career and Technology Center (JCTC) to see if they exhibit components of transformational leadership. If so, does transformational leadership of those teachers assist students with successful transitions after graduation? Successful transition is deemed by the Kentucky Department of Education as students that seek post-secondary education, employed full-time or enlist in a branch of armed services. The population for this study consists of graduates from Jessamine County between the years of 2010-2012. All participants were program completers in the agriculture career major. All participants also meet the criteria of successfully transitioning. The participants in the study indicated agriculture teachers at JCTC did exhibit all components of transformational leadership. Participants also indicated transformational leadership utilized by the agriculture teachers assisted them in successfully transitioning after high school. Relationships between participants and agriculture teachers at JCTC were an indicator of why transformational leadership was a successful leadership style of the agriculture teachers.

The United States is currently facing a shortage of qualified teachers; specifically, agricultural education has recorded shortages for several years. Many agriculture teachers will leave the profession well before retirement. Those teachers who leave the profession are often dissatisfied with their chosen career and exhibit low levels of teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction. The purpose of this census study was to describe the current level of teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction among all early career Kentucky agriculture teachers (N = 80). The study also sought to determine if a relationship existed between teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction among early career Kentucky agriculture teachers. Teacher self-efficacy was measured through three constructs: student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management. It was concluded that early career agriculture teachers in Kentucky are efficacious and generally satisfied with teaching. A variety of relationships were found to exist between each construct and overall job satisfaction between each group of teachers.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003. / "A thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Western Sydney"--t.p. "September 2003" Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 8, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.