Agricultural Education and Mathematics Performance Among Secondary Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agricultural education, FFA involvement, and SAE participation on the mathematics performance of secondary students. The study explored these factors using an ex post facto research design. Respondents in the study were secondary students enrolled in Agricultural Education program (N=80) and non-agricultural education students (N=59). Results revealed that agricultural education students had a higher mathematics mean score (M=12.15, SD=4.61) than non-agricultural education students (M=10.67, SD=3.63). There were positive statistically significant differences between mathematics performance of the students and their FFA involvement as well as SAE participation

Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts Achievement of High School Students in Complete Programs of Agriscience Education

The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to describe the academic achievement of FFA (Future Farmers of America) members in a complete program of agriscience at Jackson County Comprehensive High School (JCCHS). A secondary purpose was to compare science, math, social studies, and language arts achievement of senior agriscience students/FFA members to the achievement of all seniors at JCCHS. The findings indicate that senior agriscience students/FFA members had a higher percentage of students achieving at the highest level (Pass Plus) of Language Arts on the GHSGT (Georgia High School Graduation Test) than the remaining student population at JCCHS. Senior agriscience students/FFA members also had a higher passing rate in comparison to all seniors at JCCHS on the social studies portion of the standardized test. The researchers postulate that further research needs to be conducted to identify the correlations between agriscience participation and performance on language arts and social studies standardized tests – areas where little or no research has been conducted. The researchers also recommend that other public school systems perform similar studies to determine the impact of secondary agriscience programs on student performance

Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Pedagogical Importance, Competence, and Programmatic Need: A Frontline Assessment of Agricultural Student Teachers

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine, as witnessed by cooperating teachers, what learning gaps student teachers brought to the student teaching experience “Supervision of student teachers during student teaching is a very important exercise in teacher training” (Thobega & Miller, 2008, p. 65)..Cooperating teachers spend 10 plus weeks observing student teachers of agricultural education in [state]. One may argue that the cooperating teacher is the best judge of success when looking at the student teacher. Cooperating teachers believed using computers and multimedia in classroom teaching was a strength student teachers possessed. The cooperating teachers felt that the major weaknesses included conducting parent-teacher conferences and adult programs. The findings of this study also indicate that the pre-service teachers need additional preparation in developing teaching skills in managing student behavior problems, motivating students to learn, teaching students to think critically and creatively, and conducting parent-teacher conferences

Exploring Cooperation Between Secondary Agricultural Educators and Livestock Extension Agents: A Case Study

Due to the common goal of youth leadership development, there is the opportunity for Cooperative Extension\u27s 4-H clubs and Agricultural Education\u27s FFA chapters to be more effective through cooperation. The qualitative study discussed here used focus groups to explore the level of and perceptions regarding cooperation among agricultural educators and Extension agents. Major themes that positively influenced cooperation were identified as: the relationship between the agricultural educator and Extension agent, the awareness of the other profession, and the understanding and perceptions of cooperation. Findings of this study indicated a lack of collaboration between disciplines

Identifying Tennessee school-based agricultural education student growth and program accountability metrics

Over the years, accountability in education has transformed from the primary focus being the school as a whole to the individual teacher. The purpose of this study was to determine the metrics Tennessee school-based agricultural education teachers perceive as indicators of excellent total programs (classroom instruction, FFA, SAE), and a modified Delphi study was used to seek a consensus. The following nine metrics were retained: (a) pesticide certification, (b) program of activities, (c) number of students participating in CDEs, (d) chapter community service hours, (e) total number of FFA activities, (f) number of CDEs coached, (g) at least one proficiency at regional level, (h) one American degree every 3 years, and (i) percentage of students with SAE. Overall, the metrics agreed upon are narrow in focus and all but one is a record of activity and not direct measures of students’ knowledge or skills. As a result, the measures do not include student growth or value-added scores or authentic assessments of 21st century skills. Additional research is needed to further investigate the metrics that should be used to measure a school-based agricultural education program’s success in Tennessee and across the nation

Meeting Stakeholder Energy Technology Education Needs Using a Mobile Demonstration

Understanding the impact of workshops that include mobile demonstrations for describing technical applications can be useful when planning an Extension program on new energy technologies. We used a mobile demonstration in a workshop that provided information on small-scale on-farm biodiesel production. Evaluation of the workshop outcomes identified significant increases in attendees\u27 perceptions, awareness, interest, and knowledge related to the topic. On the basis of our process for planning and conducting the workshop and the results of the evaluation, we recommend implementing a well-distributed needs assessment and using a mobile demonstration to present technology that is economically feasible to use. The workshop we describe can be used as a model for other Extension programs

The Influence of Past Experiences on the Motivation of Adult Volunteers

From its’ conception, 4-H has encouraged volunteerism and utilized volunteers to accomplish its’ mission - to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills, and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the factors that motivated [state] 4-H camp volunteers to volunteer with 4-H youth. The Volunteer Functions Inventory was used as the theoretical base for this study. The Values construct (M=3.68) of the VFI was the highest motivating factor of adult 4-H volunteers. The Understanding construct (M=3.39) ranked the second highest motivational factor in volunteerism followed by Social construct (M=3.28), the Enhancement construct (M = 3.05) and the Protective construct (M=2.78). The Career construct (M=2.61) was the least motivating factor to adult volunteers. It was also found that participants that were not involved with 4-H as a youth volunteered more days per year than did participants who were former 4-H members

The Impact of Beef Cattle Projects on Youth Leadership Life Skills Development

Highlights of a study designed to determine the leadership life skills development (YLLSD) of youth beef cattle exhibitors and to determine if there is a relationship between YLLSD and participation in the beef project are discussed in this paper. The study was conducted using a correlational, ex post facto design. A sample of 374 individuals was randomly selected from a population of 4,229 national junior cattle exhibitors of the National Junior Angus Association. The population frame consisted of junior members ages 18 to 21. Participants’ YLLSD scores ranged from 40 to 90 with a composite mean of 73.02. Significant relationships existed between YLLSD scores and shows per year, hours working with projects per week, and years of beef project exhibition

Biological, clinical and population relevance of 95 loci for blood lipids.

Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides are among the most important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and are targets for therapeutic intervention. We screened the genome for common variants associated with plasma lipids in >100,000 individuals of European ancestry. Here we report 95 significantly associated loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)), with 59 showing genome-wide significant association with lipid traits for the first time. The newly reported associations include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near known lipid regulators (for example, CYP7A1, NPC1L1 and SCARB1) as well as in scores of loci not previously implicated in lipoprotein metabolism. The 95 loci contribute not only to normal variation in lipid traits but also to extreme lipid phenotypes and have an impact on lipid traits in three non-European populations (East Asians, South Asians and African Americans). Our results identify several novel loci associated with plasma lipids that are also associated with CAD. Finally, we validated three of the novel genes-GALNT2, PPP1R3B and TTC39B-with experiments in mouse models. Taken together, our findings provide the foundation to develop a broader biological understanding of lipoprotein metabolism and to identify new therapeutic opportunities for the prevention of CAD