What do they need? Determining Differences in the Professional Development Needs of Louisiana Agriculture Teachers by Years of Teaching Experience

Abstract

An ever-changing world of education has led to growing demand for teachers to remain competent educators. For school districts to enhance teacher effectiveness, professional development workshops must be tailored to the specific needs of educators. To further complicate the issue, in-service needs of teachers are ever growing and changing based on experience. The theoretical foundation of this study was Knowles Theory of Andragogy. Per the theory, adult learners are motivated to learn when they feel intrinsic value or realize the personal gain from the learning activity. The central drive for this study was to determine what Louisiana agriculture teachers desired in terms of classroom-based professional development, thereby giving these adult learners a hand in planning professional development activities. The results from this study indicate that there are dissimilar professional development needs based on years of teaching experience. Per the conclusions, we recommend the results of this study be shared with state agricultural education staff, university faculty, and the Louisiana Agriculture Teachers' Association. Professional development organizers should also consider years of teaching experience when planning professional development seminars.

The Dimensions of Professional Development Needs for Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers Across Career Stages: A Multiple Case Study Comparison

“…Of these characteristics, seven emerged with the highest level of agreement: (1) cares for students, (2) effectively plans for instruction, (3) effectively evaluates student achievement, (4) is honest, moral, and ethical, (5) has sound knowledge of FFA, (6) communicates well with others, and (7) effectively manages, maintains, and improves laboratories (Roberts & Dyer, 2004). The identification of such features provided a basis for the design and delivery of quality professional development for secondary agricultural educators across several states (DiBenedetto et al, 2018;Figland et al, 2019;Smalley et al, 2019). Professional development has been defined as the learning activities and experiences that educators engage in, from preservice education to retirement, to increase their career-related performance (Fullan & Steigelbauer, 1991;Rhodes et al, 2004;Ruhland & Bremer, 2002).…”

“…It is important to note that multiple investigations have also examined the professional development needs of secondary agricultural educators from the perspective of their years of teaching experience (DiBenedetto et al, 2018;Figland et al, 2019;Layfield & Dobbins, 2002;Washburn et al, 2001). As a result of such work, we now understand that early career teachers warrant additional support because of crucial personal and educational differences, and as a result, their needs span areas such as: (a) behavior management, (b) content knowledge, (c) lesson planning, (d) FFA programming, and (e) SAE management (Layfield & Dobbins, 2002;Mundt, 1991;Shippy, 1981;Talbert et al, 1994).…”

“…As such, secondary agricultural educators' conceptualizations of their needs remain varied, complex, and evolving until they establish a stable professional identity (Roberts et al, 2016;Roberts & Montgomery, 2017;Shoulders & Myers, 2011). However, Easterly and Myers (2019) and Figland et al (2019) cautioned that many professional development efforts have failed to differentiate activities based on the needs and experiences of teachers across career stages. Therefore, a need existed to understand better how secondary agricultural educators' discourse about their needs regarding teaching and learning converged and diverged across career stages.…”

Identifying Agriscience Teachers’ Instructional Practice Professional Development Needs by Certification Type

“…The questionnaire used in this study was originally created by Roberts and Dyer (2004). The instrument was further modified by Saucier et al (2010) and Figland et al (2018). The instrument was further modified to fit the needs of this study.…”

“…While this study assessed a critical issue in agricultural education, there are some limitations to be discussed. First, the instrument used for this study, created by Roberts and Dyer (2004) and modified by Saucier et al (2010), Figland et al (2018), and the researchers of this study, addressed seven sections of agriscience teacher needs. This study only considered the data from section (a) instructional practices, which is a limitation.…”