A Typology of University Agriculture Students’ Projected Motivations to Study Abroad: An Application of Q Methodology

Ensuring that marginalized populations become empowered in agriculture is vital to the success of global agricultural development goals. However, these populations have reported lacking access, power, and voice. Perhaps one strategy researchers can use to address this issue is through visual Q methodology. In this methodological paper, I argue that by combining the tenets of Q and visual methodologies, researchers can offer empirically grounded findings that evoke powerful, rich insight into the perspectives of marginalized populations in agriculture who may lack the communication skills to articulate their perspectives through words. To this point, however, the approach has lacked clear guidance, which has led to diminished quality in the published literature on visual Q methodology. In response, I offer six principles to guide visual Q methodological studies moving forward: (a) relationship-building with participants, (b) participant training, (c) concourse development, (d) Q set sampling, (e) data collection, and (f) data analysis and interpretation.

Section: Q Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual Q methodology: A methodological approach to empower marginalized populations in agriculture throughout the global south

Roberts

2024

“…Cross-cultural awareness is the ability to acknowledge and empathize with diverse ideas and practices from around the globe, and also recognize how the ideas and norms of one's own society may compare and be viewed by another (Hanvey, 1982). It has been found that the development of social capital is one primary motivator for students to engage in study abroad experiences, along with career preparation and global knowledge development (Roberts et al, 2020). Within a short-term domestic study tour, participants value the connections made with fellow participants to better develop themselves personally and professionally creating a high-impact learning experience (Homeyer et al, 2017).…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership competencies developed during a short-term domestic study tour: An exploration of participants’ perceptions

Humphrey¹,

Cline²,

Coleman³

2023

As short-term study abroad tours seek to develop globally competent leaders within the agricultural industry, the rich diversity present within the United States has led to the inception of short-term domestic study tours. To improve how global leadership competencies are developed among adolescent participants, understanding competencies gained during short-term international and domestic cultural immersion trips is vital. This case study analysis sought to explore state FFA officer perceptions of leadership competencies developed through participation in the National FFA Organization’s International Leadership Seminar for State Officers (ILSSO) which pivoted to a domestic study tour for 2022. The findings indicate participants perceived agricultural exposure and networking with peers as the development of leadership competencies. Participants also expressed perspective shifts around agricultural production methods and varied cultural experiences in the state of California. Recommendations include designing leadership curriculum for both short-term abroad and domestic tours with a framework grounded in leadership theory and replicating this study to compare findings in various contexts. Similar studies should also be conducted to assess outcomes of leadership development programs designed by the National FFA Organization.

“…Programs designed for youth that embrace experiential learning have been shown to improve agricultural literacy (Luckey et al, 2013;Pinkerton et al, 2021). The use of field trips that offer direct exposure to agricultural production have been especially useful in this endeavor for K-12 students (Bayer et al, 2020;Murrah-Hanson et al, 2022;Sigmon, 2014), as well as for post-secondary agriculture students through international travel experiences (Chen et al, 2020;Jarrell, 2019;Roberts et al, 2020). However, significant barriers exist that impede instructors' use of such activities, like time, resource availability, school culture, and teachers' knowledge about agriculture (Chang et al, 2013;Perticara & Swenson, 2019).…”

Section: Introduction and Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing agricultural education through virtual reality: Facilitation, application, reflection, and measurement in the classroom

Greig,

Colclasure,

Rampold

et al. 2024

This agricultural development methods paper presents the Virtual Reality Facilitation, Application, Reflection, and Measurement (VRFARM) framework, an approach for integrating and evaluating Virtual Reality (VR) in agricultural education to enhance agricultural literacy. The VRFARM framework is adapted from Biggs’ three key components— – presage, process, and product. It draws upon the principles of student and teacher characteristics, teaching environments, instructional methods, and reflective and measurement-based evaluations. The framework proposes a mixed-methods approach for evaluation, examining qualitative and quantitative data from teachers and students engaged with VR in the classroom. VR, when appropriately integrated using the VRFARM framework, is designed to improve students' agricultural literacy, engagement, and awareness. Major recommendations include using the VRFARM framework to implement and evaluate professional development programs for educators on VR use and agricultural literacy, along with fostering further research exploring the long-term impacts, diversity of educational settings and geographical locations, and inclusivity of VR in agricultural classrooms. This study establishes the VRFARM framework as a practical and research-based framework for educators, evaluators, and researchers, marking a significant step towards more innovative and effective VR agricultural education.