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Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1936 K41

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of the first year experience of teaching secondary agriculture and to explore the relationships between these perceptions, the characteristics of beginning agriculture teachers, and the types of support provided to beginning teachers. An additional focus of the study was to explore the relationship between the level of commitment to teaching and the perceptions of the first year experience. Information was gathered from secondary agriculture teachers across the U.S. who were in their second year of teaching agricultural education during the 2003-2004 academic year. A survey instrument was created specifically for this study through which information about the perceived experience of the first year, the types of support provided to the beginning teacher during the initial year of teaching, the perceived effectiveness of the support provided, demographic characteristics of the beginning teacher, and the perceived likelihood of teaching secondary agriculture in the future was gathered. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics. The 57 variables related to the perceptions of the first year experience were reduced to 14 factors through Principal Component Analysis. Nearly 90 percent of respondents described the overall experience of their first year as very positive, positive, or somewhat positive. The most frequently reported positive experiences included working with students in the FFA, participating in professional development opportunities, and using computers and multimedia in teaching. A majority of respondents also described their relationships with school staff, colleagues, and administrators as positive or very positive. Less than 25 percent of respondents perceived the salary in relationship to the time required as positive or very positive. Most respondents reported negative perceptions of working with students in the classroom who don't want to be there and in dealing with problem student behavior. While nearly three-fourths of the respondents reported they were highly likely to teach secondary agriculture one-year from the time of the survey, less than one-third reported they were highly likely to do so at five years, and only 15% reported they were highly likely to do so twenty years from the time of the survey. / Graduation date: 2004

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Agriculture plays an important role as the basis of economic development of many countries. One of the ingredients for accelerating agricultural development is the provision of adequate knowledge through education. Schools where agricultural science is taught play an important role, but the problem that gave rise to this study is the lacking interest and poor performance in agricultural science. The main aim of this study was to investigate factors that may influence the choice of agricultural science as a school subject. In order to attain this aim, six high schools in the Temba District were sampled to represent urban, semi-urban and rural schools. All agricultural science pupils and, for purposes of comparison, forty five pupils doing physical science and twenty seven from home economics were interviewed. The overall image of agriculture appeared quite positive in that 62 percent of the students rated it as high or very high, and only the medical practitioner received a higher average status rating than the agricultural professional. The findings indicated that non-agriculture students had the most intensive association with a farming background, which seems to indicate that a close association with agriculture is a deterrent rather than an incentive to choose agriculture as a school subject. Exposure to agricultural science as a school subject appeared to increase the interest in the study of agriculture at tertiary level, although the possibility that the interest in tertiary studies in agriculture stimulated the choice of agriculture science as a school subject, cannot be ruled out. Amongst agricultural science pupils there is general agreement that agriculture provides good access to tertiary education, although physical science was rated much higher. The assessment of teachers does not favour agricultural science. Agricultural science teachers were assessed significantly lower as far as personality, teaching quality, accessibility and knowledge is concerned. However, the less the influence and assessment of the teacher, the bigger the influence of parents appeared to be. Somewhat alarming is the finding that about 20 percent of respondents claimed to have been forced to study agricultural science at school. Those that received counselling did not have a better image of agriculture, which seems to indicate that agriculture is not a field of study recommended by teachers during counselling. / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar (Extension))--University of Pretoria, 1999. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1965 K68 / Master of Science

"The present paper will open with a brief survey of Calhoun county, including significant social, economic, and health conditions and problems of the county. The present and envisioned program of Vocational Agriculture in Blountstown High School is oriented to meet the needs and problems as revealed through this survey. The activities of the program will be discussed from the standpoint of classroom instruction, farm mechanics, adult education, Future Farmer work, and school farm"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "Aug., 1949." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science under plan II." / Advisor: Marion J. Hay, Professor Directing Paper. / Published also under title: The contribution of vocational agriculture toward development of a community school. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).