Students’ Perceptions of Agriscience when Taught Through Inquiry-Based Instruction

Abstract

United States science scores have remained stable over the past 12 years, and as a result secondary school students have been deemed less proficient than international peers. Additionally, there has been increased pressure for accountability from both teachers and students. This highly competitive performance-based classroom environment has threatened student motivation. Due to this, many have moved away from an emphasis on rote memorization and lessened the threat of performance testing by using inquiry and problem solving strategies as a way to provide more autonomy in the classroom. Agricultural education has joined the movement in providing autonomy in the classroom through inquiry-based teaching methods. This study investigates the perceptions of school-based agriscience students toward agriscience and inquiry-based instruction when taught through inquiry-based instruction. The perceptions of 170 secondary agriscience students who responded to the questionnaire indicated more favorable attitudes toward agriscience. Participants also had positive responses to items regarding agriculture's importance to society, and influence in their daily lives. It is recommended that inquiry-based instruction be utilized in the agriscience classroom to promote student learning and motivation. Further investigations on the impacts of student motivation in the classroom when inquiry-based instruction is utilized in school-based agriscience education should be investigated.

Attitude and Academic Success in Practical Agriculture: Evidence from Public Single-Sex High School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…However, some researchers have also observed some positive attitudes among students towards agriculture. These include the studies of [2,12], [26,27] and [28] who found out that students exhibited positive attitudes towards agricultural science but the teachers should encourage them by providing the enabling environment for effective teaching and learning of both the practical and the theoretical aspect of the subject in both Junior and Senior Secondary Schools. [29], opined that College of Agriculture fresh students viewed agriculture as being both scientific and technical and that they have more positive attitudes toward agricultural programmes and agriculture as a career pathway than the students of non-agriculture programmes.…”

The Infusion of Inquiry-based Learning into School-Based Agricultural Education: A Review of Literature

“…Students' perceptions of agricultural courses have shown to be positive when instructed through inquiry-based instruction. In a study conducted by Thoron and Burleson (2014), 170 secondary agriscience students perceived their agriscience course with much enthusiasm when taught through inquiry-based instruction. Even though a quarter of the students found inquiry-based learning confusing, almost half of the students within the study preferred the inquiry-taught instruction and would welcome inquiry-based instruction within other classes (Thoron & Burleson, 2014).…”

“…In a study conducted by Thoron and Burleson (2014), 170 secondary agriscience students perceived their agriscience course with much enthusiasm when taught through inquiry-based instruction. Even though a quarter of the students found inquiry-based learning confusing, almost half of the students within the study preferred the inquiry-taught instruction and would welcome inquiry-based instruction within other classes (Thoron & Burleson, 2014). In a quasi-experimental study conducted by Thoron & Myers (2011), inquiry-based instruction was measured against the subject matter approach on student content knowledge achievement in 15 agriscience education classes in 7 different secondary schools throughout the United States.…”

“…This finding was troubling, as researchers (Wells & Parr, 2011;Wells & Retallick, 2013) have reported that both the FFA and SAE components have exhibited much potential for alignment with academic content standards. Based upon the previous literature that emphasized academic enhancement through inquiry-based methods (Thoron & Burleson, 2014;Thoron & Myers, 2011), it would seem that these areas could, due to their embedded academic curricula, hold significant potential for the incorporation of inquiry-based instructional strategies. Interestingly, Rogers (1969, as cited in Roberts, 2006 noted that inquiry-based learning can be used heavily in the experiential learning portion of SAE.…”

“…Parr et al (2006) declared that academic enhancement (such as the use of scientific, inquiry-based learning) and contextualized learning must be established and maintained. Further, as secondary students perceive such advancements in a positive light (Conroy & Walker, 2000;Thoron & Burleson, 2014), such transitions to academically-rigorous coursework can be eased.…”