Early field experience in career and technical education

The purpose of the three studies in this dissertation was to enhance career and technical education in the area of agriculture, business, and family and consumer sciences. This dissertation contains three papers: (1) a Delphi study identifying the purpose, expected outcomes, and methods of documenting preservice teacher early field experience (EFE) activities in agricultural teacher education programs; (2) a national descriptive study describing agricultural teacher education early field experience (EFE) practices using the EFE Model; and (3) a national descriptive study describing business, and family and consumer sciences teacher education early field experience (EFE) practices using the EFE Model. For all studies an early field experience (EFE) was defined as all field experiences that occur prior to student teaching and the experiences could be offered within or outside of the agricultural education curriculum. Programs required minimum number of contact hours and minimum number of lessons to be taught while in the field. The most commonly identified student assessments included: the university supervisor\u27s review of documents, cooperating teacher signatures, reflective writing, and student journaling. The studies supports the career and technical education profession by identifying differences and similarities in EFE programming in an effort to provide a more congruent EFE experience for preservice teachers. All three studies can be used to modify and improve EFE in career and technical education in the area of agriculture, business, and family and consumer sciences. The studies will aid the profession in providing a more congruent EFE experience for preservice teachers

Job Stress, Burnout, and Professional Development Needs of Mid-Career Agricultural Education Teachers

Retaining high quality school-based agricultural education teachers is a growing concern across the United States. This study focused on mid-career agricultural education teachers’ perceptions of job stress, burnout, job satisfaction, and professional development needs related to National Quality Program Standards for Secondary Agriculture Education (The National Council for Agricultural Education, 2009). The target population for this study was participants in the 2013 NAAE eXcellence in Leadership for Retention (XLR8) professional development program. Overall, XLR8 participants indicated the highest levels of job stress related to Standard 2 – Experiential Learning and Standard 7 – Program Planning and Evaluation. Participants were least stressed over Standard 6 – Certified Agriculture Teachers and Professional Growth, which also ranked lowest in terms of desired professional development. The most sought-after area of professional development included Standard 2 – Experiential Learning and Standard 1 – Program Planning and Instruction. Findings suggest XLR8 participants experience “moderate” levels of burnout in each of three categories measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators, however are generally satisfied with their job

Perceptions of Career and Technical Education by Pre-Service Students

Agricultural education programs are one component of Career and Technical Education (CTE). For CTE to be effective, educators teaching CTE courses must be able to make connections between the curriculum and real-life situations. This qualitative study explored self-reported perceptions of CTE by pre-service students. Wigfield and Eccles’ expectancy-value model of achievement was used as the framework for this study. Findings indicated that career and technical education provides benefits for everyone because it helps develop career skills. With the shortage of educators and budget cuts, career and technical education cannot continue to survive. Participants also describe characteristics of successful career and technical education teachers

Professional Development Needs of Mid-Career Agriculture Teachers

Nationwide, agricultural education faces a shortage of teachers (National Teach Ag Campaign, 2014; Foster, Lawver, & Smith, 2016). To remedy this, both recruitment and retention efforts are necessary. While extensive research in agricultural education has focused on needs of beginning teachers, less research has focused on needs of agriculture teachers at later career stages. As such, the purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore challenges, activities, and professional development needs of mid-career agriculture teachers, particularly those within the “Experimentation/Activism” and “Reassessment/Self-Doubt” stages identified by Huberman (1989). The study narrowly focused on a census of 35 teachers from across the country who applied for a professional development program designed for mid-career agriculture teachers. Mid-career teachers identified lack of time, course planning, and programmatic expectations as challenges or obstacles. The teachers reported a desire to fulfill professional development needs by networking, reenergizing, and improving stress management. Specifically, teachers reported participating in professional organizations, joining teacher listservs, and networking through the National Association of Agricultural Educators’ Communities of Practice for engagement and support. Findings suggest continued professional development offerings and additional research related to mid-career agriculture teacher well-being are warranted

Students’ Perceptions of School-Based Agricultural Education Through an Initial Early Field Experience

The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of students enrolled in an initial early field experience (EFE) in relation to the components of the agricultural education model. The students enrolled in the initial field experience were freshmen and sophomore students. The initial field experience course consisted of four face-to-face class meetings and a 12-hour initial field experience observation. Students’ photographed their perceptions of each component in the agricultural education model (classroom, SAE, FFA). The coding of reflective captions led to themes in three areas of the agricultural education model: (a) classroom themes were active learning, collaboration and facilities, (b) FFA themes were activities and opportunities, and (c) SAE themes were school based projects, awards/degrees, and the smallest circle. Overall, the EFE students used their photographs and descriptions to describe the learner-centered nature of the program. The EFE students described how the three components of the agricultural education model worked together to help school-based agricultural education (SBAE) students gain knowledge and experience. It is recommended that teacher educators incorporate photovoice in EFE programs to facilitate discussion of the initial perceptions of students

Purposes, Activities, and Documentation of Early Field Experience in Agricultural Teacher Education: A National Delphi Study

The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the purpose, expected outcomes, and methods of documenting preservice teacher early field experience (EFE) activities in agricultural teacher education programs. A Delphi technique was used to electronically collect data via email and SurveyMonkey®. An expert panel was established and after three rounds of questioning, the panel identified 16 purpose statements, 14 activities and 9 methods of documenting EFE. The findings of this study, as established by a panel of experts who reached consensus, indicated that EFE should be documented via a combination of journaling and portfolio development. The verification of these documents should be completed by the cooperating teacher and through university assessments. Documentation of an EFE experience can be accomplished through journaling, cooperating teacher signature, reflective paper or a review of collective documents. The results of this study can be used to modify and improve EFE by clarifying the purpose, activities and ways of documented activities in agricultural teacher education programs. This study will aid the profession in providing a more congruent EFE experience for preservice teachers

Early Field Experience of Business and Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education

The purpose of this national descriptive study was to describe early field experience (EFE) practices used in business and family and consumer sciences (FCS) teacher education by using the EFE model. This study replicates similar research in the agricultural education discipline. For this study, EFE was defined as all field experiences—offered within or outside of the business and FCS teacher education curriculum—that occur before student teaching. The study population was business and FCS teacher education programs (N=139) identified by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the National Business Education Association. The teacher education coordinator for each program was the contact for this study. Data were collected via an online survey. Programs required a minimum number of contact hours and a minimum number of lessons taught while in the field. The most common student assessments included cooperating teacher signatures, reflective writing and university supervisor’s review of documents. Most programs had specific EFE requirements and expectations. This study supports the career and technical education profession by identifying differences and similarities in EFE programming across disciplines. This information could be used to provide a more congruent EFE for all preservice teachers

Early Field Experience Course Students’ Perceptions of School-based Agricultural Education Laboratory Environments

Laboratory instruction is an important component of school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs (Phipps, Osborne, Dyer, & Ball, 2008). Early field experience (EFE) coursework can be an important component of agricultural teacher preparation programs (Retallick & Miller, 2007). Through the use of a modified photovoice technique, we sought to identify the perceptions of students (i.e., preservice teachers) enrolled in an EFE course in relation to the laboratory environment component of the SBAE model. Students enrolled in a 40-hour EFE course photographed a laboratory environment at their placement site and completed a 250-word descriptive/reflective summary of the laboratory. Through open coding of the summaries, three prominent themes emerged: 1) project-based learning is widely used for instructional purposes; 2) laboratory environments are set up and arranged in particular fashions based on needs; and 3) laboratory environments are arranged as settings for effective learning. Within the photographs, the agricultural mechanics laboratory was most commonly identified as a laboratory environment. The EFE students identified laboratory environments are not always traditional in their scope, and classrooms can serve as laboratory environments. We recommend photovoice be further used as a tool to explore students’ perceptions of the realities of modern SBAE programs

Student Teacher Activities - Are They Relevant? The University Supervisor’s Perspective

The traditional student teaching experience includes a complex, triadic relationship between student teacher, cooperating teacher, and the university supervisor. Studies seeking to understand this experience from the perspectives of the student teacher and cooperating teacher are commonly found in the literature; yet research specific to the university supervisor has been considered meager at best. Building upon Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, we sought to reveal the university supervisor’s voice regarding the relevance of traditionally required student teaching skills and activities commonly included in the capstone student teaching experience. A descriptive census study consisting of university supervisors (N = 62) from the North Central Region of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) was implemented. A document analysis of agricultural education student teaching handbooks from the North Central AAAE region provided the foundation for a researcher-developed, expert-panel validated instrument consisting of student teaching skills and activities organized into eight constructs. University supervisors considered seven of the eight constructs as very relevant for inclusion in the capstone student teaching experience. We conclude that university supervisors in the North Central Region of AAAE perceive activities and skills commonly required of student teachers as important to the capstone student teaching experience. Future activities should be aligned with those included in national performance-based, subject-specific assessments commonly being adopted by teacher preparation programs. Future research should seek to determine alignment of best practices in SBAE national standards-based assessments