This study explored first and second year agriculture teachers' job satisfaction and teacher selfefficacy through their perceived levels of school culture support. Prior research indicated one possible contributor to poor teacher retention is a lack of belonging teachers feel to their schools. Data were collected from beginning teachers in three states and stepwise multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the data. The researchers found that colleague support was statistically significant contributors to beginning teachers' efficacy. District and school administration, colleague, and financial supports were all statistically significant contributors to teachers' job satisfaction. These findings provide support for further research to explore gaps in the profession's understanding of the role school culture plays for agriculture teachers. Recommendations include incorporating positive relationship-building techniques into pre-service and teacher induction programs and making beginning teachers aware of materials used in promoting agricultural education programs and building administrative relationships.
Strong literacy skills are needed to be successful in the 21 st century. All teachers are charged with developing students' literacy skills and abilities. To help better prepare preservice teachers for this task, students at the University of Missouri are required to take a Reading in the Content Area (RICA) course. This intrinsic case study focused on preservice agriculture teachers who were nearing completion of the RICA course. Two focus groups were conducted with a total of nine participants. Four themes emerged from the data: 1. students held misconceptions and concerns that were dispelled, 2. the structure and content made it an impactful, yet incomplete, experience, 3. they recognized the importance of literacy in agricultural education, and finally 4) they were still hesitant to use literacy in their future classrooms. Recommendations for practice include: adding a literacy component to microteaching experiences, developing confidence surrounding literacy assessment abilities, and providing preservice teachers with literacy strategies specific to agricultural education.
The bombardment of information on students in higher education has created a need for not only information processing skills but improved communicative competence and interpersonal relationship skills. In an attempt to address this, we have implemented book clubs in our undergraduate teacher education courses. In these book clubs, we facilitate students in both critique and analysis of perspectives at difference with one another as well as the process of communicating on a professional level. The results have been students who feel more confident in evaluating literature and hosting conversations with critical elements.
Schools across the country are facing a shortage of Career & Technical Education (CTE) teachers. Challenges regarding recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers have far-reaching economic and educational implications. The literature notes multiple factors associated with CTE teacher attrition, such as low pay, absence of adequate teaching resources, and lack of administrative support. The current study aimed to identify factors associated with teacher retention via focus group interviews with mid-career (7-15 years) CTE teachers. The focus group included (N=4) CTE teachers from a Midwest state; the group was comprised of three agriculture teachers and one family & consumer sciences teacher. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed four themes related to the retention of mid-career CTE teachers: (1) setting boundaries, (2) shifting priorities/focus, (3) building a professional support network, and (4) innovating in the classroom. Recommendations for practice include induction programming focused on prioritizing programmatic opportunities and professional needs and involvement of preservice teachers in professional organizations early and often. Recommendations for research include exploring the level of involvement in professional organizations and its influence on career satisfaction and examining the benefits a mentor gains from a mentoring relationship.
Educational leaders implement professional development activities to facilitate teacher learning and growth. Each summer, scores of secondary agriculture teachers attend Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) institutes as a form of professional development. Recently, teacher preparation programs have begun offering CASE institutes for preservice teachers. This study explored the lived experiences of preservice teachers in two CASE institutes. Three central themes emerged from the data: 1) preservice participants wrestled with adoption of inquiry teaching strategies as a teaching method, 2) contextualized literacy in the agriculture classroom helped preservice participants understand their role as a teacher of literacy, and 3) participant content knowledge growth was intertwined with self-growth in formative assessment, classroom management/grouping, and literacy strategies. The findings were presented through vignettes to provide a thick, rich description of the case. Recommendations include offering modified CASE institutes for preservice teachers, use of lead teachers who are familiar with the developmental challenges of preservice teachers, and monitoring participant content knowledge to facilitate growth in pedagogical content knowledge.
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