An assessment of the cognitive behavior exhibited by secondary agriculture teachers

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 (July 19, 2006)Includes bibliographical references.Vita.Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2005.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Agricultural education.Federal initiatives, state legislation, and educational leaders have encouraged educators to teach higher-order thinking skills. Teacher behaviors have been identified as variables of influence for higher-order thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of cognitive behavior exhibited by secondary agriculture teachers, how they compare to science teachers, and what characteristics are indicators of specific cognitive behaviors. The sample consisted of agriculture teachers in Central Missouri. Biology teachers from each school were utilized as a comparison group. For this descriptive-correlational study, the Florida Taxonomy of Cognitive Behaviors was used. Additionally, an attitudinal questionnaire was used to collect the teachers' attitude toward teaching at higher cognitive levels. Agriculture teachers had a slightly favorable attitude toward teaching at higher cognitive levels. Eighty-two percent of agriculture teachers' observed class time was spent on lower-order behavior. Science teachers were found to have similar results. No differences were found between agriculture and science teachers' cognitive behaviors. Measures should be taken at both the in-service and pre-service level to inform teachers of the importance of cognitive behavior and techniques for exhibiting cognitive behavior. Teacher, school, and class characteristics did not predict cognitive behavior with the current data

Feature - Factors Influencing Maize Farmers’ Adoption And Use Intensity of Hermetic Storage Bags In Dormaa, Ghana

ABSTRACT Maize is a key staple in Ghana with a high production rate. With the growing development of the poultry and livestock sector, there is a need to boost maize production to meet the growing demand. The unfortunate thing is a significant amount of maize produced is lost during storage. The hermetic storage bag is an innovation proven to reduce maize storage loss. This study ascertains factors influencing smallholder maize farmers\u27 adoption and use intensity of hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana. We used a multi-stage sampling technique and collected data from 217 maize smallholder farmers from four communities where maize production is the main economic activity in Dormaa Municipality, Ghana. The analytical framework incorporates descriptive statistics, the Probit model, and the Ordinary Least Square Estimation (OLS) technique. The probit results reveal that age, marital status, membership in a professional association, and training have a positive and significant influence on the adoption of hermetic storage bags. Based on the intensity of use of hermetic bags, our study finds that farm size, length of storage, and quantity of maize farmers sold each season had a positive and significant influence on the number of hermetic bags used by farmers to store maize each season. This study provides us with factors development agencies, the Ministry of Food and Agricultural Organization (MoFA) in Ghana, Extension, and other stakeholders should consider disseminating hermetic bags in Dormaa, Ghana to enhance the adoption of hermetic storage bags by smallholder farmers

Drivers of farmers’ adoption of hermetic storage bags in Ghana

Post-harvest loss is a global challenge due to its serious threat to food security. Hermetic storage bags offer one way to combat the loss of food after harvest. The rate at which farmers adopt hermetic bags largely depends upon their access to information and training about the technology. The adoption of hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana, was the focus of this quantitative cross-sectional research study. This study sought to describe maize farmers’ perceptions of the hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana, based on the perceived innovation attributes and to ascertain farmers’ stages of adoption of the hermetic storage bags using Rogers’s (2003) innovation-decision model. A multistage systematic sampling technique was used to survey 217 maize farmers in four communities where maize production was the main economic activity. Data indicated that the largest group of farmers were at the confirmation stage of Rogers’ model. The logistic regression model was used to ascertain the influence of the innovation attributes on adoption. The findings reveal that of the five innovation characteristics, relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity are the key and significant drivers of the adoption of hermetic storage bags, with relative advantage and compatibility increasing the adoption likelihood and complexity reducing it. The study, therefore, recommends that communities lagging behind others in adoption should be targeted for additional training

Beyond the Post: Exploring Equine Operators’ Understanding and Role in Conservation Best Management Practices

The equine industry is an established part of Maryland agriculture with 79,100 equines valued at approximately $714 million in the state; approximately 10% of these animals are housed in one county. Equine operators are a unique demographic in the agricultural realm, because they are not managing land to produce food or fiber and often are employed in other professions unrelated to agriculture. These operators tend to be unaware of land conservation practices and can have a detrimental effect on areas, like the Chesapeake Bay economy and ecosystem, if shared resources are exploited. The purpose of this study was to explore equine operators’ knowledge and connection of conservation best management practices (BMPs) and their role in being a caretaker of the land. The study was informed by the diffusion of innovations theory and gathered data through semi-structured, qualitative interviews. Equine operators in the study were found to use a variety of informational sources, had a high level of adoption of the BMPs they used, and overall, a majority of participants saw their role as caretakers of the land as an important aspect of their environmental actions. Recommendations from this research include improving communication processes to increase the spread of BMPs and adjusting specific infrastructure aspects to improve retention of equine operators practicing conservation efforts. Further research should investigate other niche areas of agriculture that could potentially be struggling with a knowledge deficit of BMPs and communication neglect between conservation offices and audiences

Maize farmers’ use, preference, and trustworthiness of information sources and communication channels in Dormaa, Ghana: A gender comparison.

The study aimed to identify maize farmers\u27 use, preference, and trustworthiness of the various information sources and communication channels farmers in Dormaa, Ghana, used to receive information about their farming activities. A questionnaire was developed, and data was collected from 217 maize farmers. The result revealed more males are involved in maize production than females. Most males indicated they received training in using hermetic bags more than female farmers. Respondents ranked Extension agents highest as the source from which they receive their farming information. Based on the level of preference for the information sources, the results show a statistically significant difference between male and female farmers\u27 preference for Extension agents, friends/neighbors, and church leaders, with male farmers preferring these information sources more than females. The result indicated a significant difference between male and female preferences for phone calls, with more males indicating they preferred telephone calls. The t-test results of farmers’ trustworthiness for the information sources revealed a significant difference between male and female farmers’ trustworthiness for fellow farmers, friends/neighbors, telephone calls, and posters/billboards for communication channels. Given that Extension professionals are the most preferred and trustworthy source of information, we recommend that the government and stakeholders organize extension training programs to strengthen local extension. We recommend greater women involvement and given strategic roles in the planning and organization of training programs

In Their Own Words: Student Mental Health in Rural, Low Socioeconomic High Schools

The purpose of this research paper was to highlight the factors students and school staff identify as contributors to mental health issues students attending rural, low socioeconomic high schools experience and the specific mental health issues they witness most. A collective case study was conducted in four rural high schools, two in Kansas and two in West Virginia. Field work at each school involved observations, document collection, and semi-structured focus group interviews with students and school staff. The factors identified as contributors to poor student mental health were pressure, technology, home life, bullying, and stigma. Anxiety, stress, depression, lack of health coping, and suicidal comments emerged as the specific mental health struggles students deal with the most. Recommendations for practice include practical ways to address the identified contributors of poor student mental health in rural schools and strategies to normalize mental health in the rural school environment

Exploring Science Teaching Efficacy of CASE Curriculum Teachers: A Post-Then-Pre Assessment

Beliefs Instrument (STEBI). The population included all teachers completing a CAS

Dark Matter Candidates: A Ten-Point Test

An extraordinarily rich zoo of non-baryonic Dark Matter candidates has been proposed over the last three decades. Here we present a 10-point test that a new particle has to pass, in order to be considered a viable DM candidate: I.) Does it match the appropriate relic density? II.) Is it {\it cold}? III.) Is it neutral? IV.) Is it consistent with BBN? V.) Does it leave stellar evolution unchanged? VI.) Is it compatible with constraints on self-interactions? VII.) Is it consistent with {\it direct} DM searches? VIII.) Is it compatible with gamma-ray constraints? IX.) Is it compatible with other astrophysical bounds? X.) Can it be probed experimentally?Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure

Metabolomics 2022 workshop report: state of QA/QC best practices in LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics, informed through mQACC community engagement initiatives.

IntroductionThe Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC) organized a workshop during the Metabolomics 2022 conference.ObjectivesThe goal of the workshop was to disseminate recent findings from mQACC community-engagement efforts and to solicit feedback about a living guidance document of QA/QC best practices for untargeted LC-MS metabolomics.MethodsFour QC-related topics were presented.ResultsDuring the discussion, participants expressed the need for detailed guidance on a broad range of QA/QC-related topics accompanied by use-cases.ConclusionsOngoing efforts will continue to identify, catalog, harmonize, and disseminate QA/QC best practices, including outreach activities, to establish and continually update QA/QC guidelines

Common Features at the Start of the Neurodegeneration Cascade

A single-molecule study reveals that neurotoxic proteins share common structural features that may trigger neurodegeneration, thus identifying new targets for therapy and diagnosis