Professional Development Needs of Beginning Agricultural Education Teachers in Idaho

Abstract

The continuing shortage of agricultural education instructors has been documented across the state and nation. Secondary instructor retention may help reduce the shortage and position changes each year. Identifying the challenges facing beginning teachers as perceived by beginning teachers, veteran teachers, and building administrators can help identify the professional development and mentoring needs to assist in teacher retention. Establishing consensus among the target groups through this Delphi study will allow Idaho Team Ag Ed to be specific and purposeful in long term professional development planning. Through this study, 21 professional development areas were agreed upon in three areas: Teacher Skills and Knowledge (8); Personal Skills and Professional Development (6); and Program Area Concerns (7). Volume of work was the area of highest concern (n = 92, 90.11%) followed by classroom management skills and teaching experience (n = 81, 89.01%) and 79 of the 91 respondents (86.81%) agreed that finding alternative funding sources was an area of concern followed closely by overall program funding (n = 79 of 90 responses, 87.78%). The consensus supported previous research across the country and will provide a guide for targeted professional development, mentorship, and long-term retention for beginning teachers (0-5 years' experience) in Idaho.

Needs Assessments for School-based Agricultural Education Teachers: A Review of Literature

“…Barrick et al (1983) conducted the first needs assessment of agricultural education teachers found in the literature base. More recently, a needs assessment of Idaho agricultural education teachers was conducted by Touchstone (2015). Davis and Jayaratne (2015) conducted a study which focused on preparing agriculture teachers for the 21 st century.…”

“…The areas of developing knowledge and skills in plant sciences and animal sciences, conducting parent/teacher conferences, and planning and conducting student field trips were indicated as lower priority needs for in-service (Duncan et al, 2006;Joerger, 2002;Layfield & Dobbins, 2002). In a more recent study, Touchstone (2015) found funding and long-term planning and prioritization as an overall high need in Idaho. Layfield and Dobbins (2002) found preparing FFA degree applications, organizing FFA fundraisers, and supervising SAE programs were mentioned as high priority in-service needs of South Carolina agricultural education teachers.…”

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

“…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.…”

Perceptions of High School Cooperating Agricultural Teachers on the Performance of Student Teachers

“…These areas of lower perceived preparedness coincide with previous findings. For example, Touchstone (2015) reported program funding and recruiting students were program areas of concern for beginning teachers in Idaho.…”