HOW SERIOUS ARE TEACHER EDUCATORS ABOUT CAREER EDUCATION?

A study recently completed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was designed to measure the extent to which selected teacher educators are incorporating procedures for planning and conducting career education programs into teacher education curriculums. The objectives discussed here are the determination of the extent to which teacher education staffs are incorporating career education concepts into the curricula of all of the colleges and universities collectively as well as specifically with respect to the subject matter area and/or specialty

The Identification and Prioritization of Tasks of Vocational Agriculture Instructors as Perceived by State Supervisors, Teacher Educators, and Vocational Agriculture Instructors in Nebraska

Purpose of the Study The study was conducted to determine what vocational agriculture instructors, teacher educators and state supervisors in vocational agriculture perceived as being the task priorities of Nebraska vocational agriculture instructors. Specifically, the major objectives were to: Identify the major tasks of Nebraska vocational agriculture instructors. Prioritize major tasks of Nebraska vocational agriculture instructors as perceived by state supervisors, teacher educators and vocational agriculture instructors. Compare priority rating of tasks by state supervisors, teacher educators, and vocational agriculture Instructors

Professionalism of Vocational Agriculture Instructors as Perceived by Vocational Agriculture Instructors and Superintendents in Nebraska Public Secondary Schools

Vocational agriculture instructors, teacher educators and state supervisory staff are expected to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in their respective positions. At the same time, many of them would be hard pressed to provide a concise definition of professionalism. j Lee (1981) defined professionalism as how individuals or groups of individuals conform to the characteristics expected of them by virtue of their occupation. Allen (1978) stated that being a professional carries with it certain roles and responsibilities. The three areas with which we should be concerned are: professional status, professional improvement and professional organizations

Farm Credit Competencies Needed and Possessed by Selected Nebraska Young Farmers/Ranchers

Agriculture has changed a great deal, particularly during the past five years. Lower prices for commodities and higher production costs, including higher interest rates, have made it necessary for farmers to become better financial managers. The farm of the future will be treated financially like any other business--it will have to demonstrate profitability before a bank will finance its operations (Congress of the United States, 1986). The Iowa Department of Agriculture (1985) and others concluded that rapid economic and social change is not a new phenomenon in agriculture. Agriculture has in fact been adjusting to conditions of greater efficiency since the beginning of recorded history. What is occurring in agriculture at the present time (farms failing because equity is exhausted or operating credit is denied), has little to do with efficiency but rather the amount of debt that is held is excessive as measured by the economic environment of the 1980\u27s. Harl (1985) expanded upon the present crisis by addressing the massive adjustment taking place in agriculture and the increased demand for educational services for adults remaining in farming. He feels strongly about the heavy emphasis needed in the areas of management skills, cost structure, financial management, financing arrangements, utilization of non-farm sourced equity capital and marketing skills. The investigator found no current studies that had researched the financial management competencies needed to succeed in agriculture. Additionally, the review of literature revealed no current studies that dealt with the specific competencies required for the successful use of farm credit. This lack of research, in combination with the current ongoing farm credit crisis, magnifies the need for a study in this area

PERCEPTIONS OF AGRIBUSINESS LEADERS TOWARD AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN NEBRASKA

The need for change today is perhaps no greater than within the ranks of public programs in agricultural education. Technological advancements coupled with the need for even greater economic efficiency not only continues to encourage and force change, but suggests that the pressures for even better educational programs in agriculture will continue until change actually occurs or most importantly is actually perceived to occur. Miller (1983), stated that “other teachers also often perceive our students (agricultural education) as the less talented and our instructional content as less than rigorous.” He further indicated that “our image with legislators is best characterized as politically naive. Legislators are much more likely to recognize the term FFA Advisor than teacher of Vocational Agriculture. Since most legislators come from and represent urban areas, they often perceive that the industry for which we are training is diminishing.” In Michigan, Pritchard and Smarr (1983) studied the perceptions of education in general in Macomb County. They concluded that “among all county residents, 83 percent think the nation is risking the well being of its people because of educational shortcomings and 71 percent gave improvement in education a high or top priority.” In a study of teacher perception of secondary programs of agricultural education in Missouri, Birkenholz (1987) concluded that “agricultural education should monitor the environment in which vocational programs operate.” He further suggested that the programs must then be modified to meet these environmental conditions