Characteristics of Enthusiastic and Growing School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers: A Delphi Approach

Abstract

The most optimal way to prepare teachers is a source of debate and inquiry. The common view held in school-based agricultural education is to use professional development to augment what teachers learned in their teacher preparation program. This has been typically implemented through induction support and generic professional development. Fessler and Christensen (1992) described a teacher career cycle that highlights the need to differentiate professional development for teachers beyond the induction stage. Teachers in the Enthusiastic and Growing stage are described as having a high level of competence, but continue to grow as professionals. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of Enthusiastic and Growing school-based agriculture education teachers in order to inform professional development practice. A panel of 105 Enthusiastic and Growing teachers were selected to serve on a Delphi panel and asked to identify the characteristics of an expert agriculture teacher. Twenty-seven responses were agreed upon by the panel. Some characteristics were congruent with the existing descriptions of Enthusiastic and Growing teachers, while some descriptions were unique to school-based agricultural education. Based on these findings, professional development should be implemented using a systems approach to promote these characteristics in teachers.

Potential Mentoring Impacts on Oklahoma Induction-Year School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers: A Modified Delphi Study

“…Panelists were also given the opportunity to provide additional feedback on each of the eight themes identified from the round one responses (Roberts, 2006). Regarding consensus, a priori levels of 80% (Roberts & Dyer, 2004) and 90% (Easterly & Myers, 2017) were averaged for a consensus level of 85%. Items that at least 85% of the expert panel marked as somewhat agree, agree, or strongly agree were considered as meeting consensus.…”

Identifying the Agricultural Mechanics Knowledge and Skills Needed by Iowa School-based Agricultural Education Teachers

“…As stakeholders in industry, SBAE teachers, as a significant portion of the agricultural workforce development process, should be skilled and knowledgeable in their subject matter (Whittington, 2005). Skilled and knowledgeable teachers are an extraordinary asset in any SBAE program (Easterly & Myers, 2017). Expertise in subject matter is frequently cited as a characteristic of a high-quality, effective SBAE teacher (Roberts & Dyer, 2004).…”

“…Similar to a plethora of previous agricultural education Delphi studies (Breeding, Rayfield, & Smith, 2018;Easterly & Myers, 2017;Lundry, Ramsey, Edwards, & Robinson, 2015;Touchstone, 2015), the three-round Delphi technique was used. A total of three Delphi instruments were used to collect data, one for each round.…”

A Regional Study of the Agricultural Mechanics Knowledge and Skills Needed by School-based Agricultural Education Teachers

“…School-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs serve a variety of functions, such as engaging students in leadership activities (Phipps et al, 2008), preparing students for careers in the agricultural industry (Stripling & Ricketts, 2016), and providing practical applications of academic knowledge (Haynes et al, 2012;Parr et al, 2006;Young et al, 2009). SBAE programs are intended to be led by qualified, effective SBAE teachers (Easterly & Myers, 2017;Phipps et al, 2008). Effective SBAE teachers are necessary components of quality SBAE programs (Easterly & Myers, 2017) who display a variety of characteristics (Eck et al, 2019;Roberts & Dyer, 2004), including dedication, pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge about agriculture.…”

“…SBAE programs are intended to be led by qualified, effective SBAE teachers (Easterly & Myers, 2017;Phipps et al, 2008). Effective SBAE teachers are necessary components of quality SBAE programs (Easterly & Myers, 2017) who display a variety of characteristics (Eck et al, 2019;Roberts & Dyer, 2004), including dedication, pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge about agriculture. Knowledge about agricultural subject matter has been consistently identified as a trait of effective SBAE teachers (Eck et al, 2019;Roberts & Dyer, 2004;Whittington, 2005).…”