The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to assess the level of teacher self-efficacy of first-year, secondary agricultural education teachers in Oklahoma at the beginning and end of their entry-year in the profession and describe their early career retention. This study found that these first-year teachers increased their level of…

The academic skills of today's teenagers are diminishing, and are a cause for concern. One of the academic areas in need of improvement is science. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to determine the effect that a science-enhanced, curriculum would have on students' achievement in science. The population for this study consisted of…

Supervised experiences are designed to provide opportunities for the hands-on learning of skills and practices that lead to successful personal growth and future employment in an agricultural career (Talbert, Vaughn, Croom, & Lee, 2007). In the Annual Report for Agricultural Education (2005-2006), it was stated that 91% of the respondents (i.e.,…

The purpose of this study was to describe the views student teachers in agricultural education at Oklahoma State University had regarding their 12-week student teaching internship. Using Q-methodology as a research approach, 28 interns rank-ordered a Q-set of 36 statements describing various aspects teacher responsibilities and performance. The…

Many U.S. universities are preparing their students to attain international awareness through various approaches. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at Oklahoma State University offers three international dimension undergraduate courses intended to provide students a formal educational opportunity to learn about…

The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to examine the level of self-efficacy of Oklahoma secondary agricultural education teachers regarding their use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) in classroom teaching. The study also sought to determine if relationships existed between teachers' IWB self-efficacy scores, outcome…

The National Research Council's (NRC) Report (1988), Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education, called on secondary agricultural education to shift its scope and purpose, including students' supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs). The NRC asserted that this shift should create opportunities for students to acquire supervised…

Career and technical education courses, such as agricultural education, exist, in part, to assist students in acquiring the competencies needed to achieve employability. However, whether the current secondary agricultural education curriculum meets the needs of industry leaders who employ high school graduates of agricultural education programs is…

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the posit that students who participated in a contextualized, mathematics-enhanced high school agricultural power and technology (APT) curriculum and aligned instructional approach would develop a deeper and more sustained understanding of selected mathematics concepts than those students who…

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the posit that students who participated in a contextualized, mathematics-enhanced high school agricultural power and technology (APT) curriculum and aligned instructional approach would not differ significantly (p less than 0.05) in their technical competence from students who participated in the…

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the hypothesis that students who participated in a contextualized, mathematics-enhanced high school agricultural power and technology curriculum and aligned instructional approach would not experience significant diminishment in acquisition of technical skills related to agricultural power and…

To adapt to major social, cultural, technological, and globalization forces, scholars frequently discuss the purpose, structure, and content of higher education in agriculture. Most agree that change in the curriculum is imperative. The questions are who will champion the change, who will implement it, and whether faculty are willing to be an…

Based on a review of primary and secondary sources, this article discusses the contexts, circumstances, people, and legislation that affected the origins and evolution of land-grant universities. Poses questions for the future, including whether land-grant universities are losing their historic commitment to their mission and becoming elitist.…

Agricultural student teachers (n=36) rated core elements of their field experience. They recognized the importance of relationships with cooperating teachers before and after the experience. Supervised agricultural experience was the only area rated lower after field experience. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

Focus groups and a mailed questionnaire obtained the opinions of 31 cooperating agricultural education teachers on the importance of core areas of student teaching. A well-rounded program emphasizing instruction, supervised agricultural experience, and youth leadership activities rated highest. Use of focus group/survey methods for such research…